Greetings Susannah,

I'll echo some of what's already been mentioned, but add the suggestion to
never assume "who would be majoring in some aspect of the museum field would
obviously be more knowledgeable."  Knowledge (theory) and know-how
(practice) are two different skill sets . . .

If you've had some tour guides (paid or unpaid) who have stuck around for
several seasons they know much more than your new intern.  They should know
the mission statement, the facility, basic policies and procedures, and the
content better than a fresh face.  A new intern may not know more about how
to speak to people in regular English (i.e., without jargon) . . . may be
great in a one-to-one interview, but lousy when dealing with groups . . .
may have less experience dealing with a variety of ages, socio-economic
backgrounds, ESL or other language barriers, etc.  They may be great on
paper, but lacking in person.

Every new member of a staff -- employee, intern or volunteer -- needs time
for uptake . . . to figure out how they can relate with others in the
workplace.

Best wishes, sincerely,

Jay Heuman
Curator of Education
Salt Lake Art Center
20 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT  84101
 
T 801-328-4201 x 21
F 801-322-4323
W www.slartcenter.org
 
"I realized as I traveled across this nation
that I encountered three types of people.
People who make things happen;
people who watch things happen; and,
people who ask "what happened?"
 [Mac Arthur Goodwin, NAEA President, 2001-2003]




-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Susannah West
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 9:37 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] intern-staff relationship
Our museum may be getting an intern next year and I'm wondering about
others' experiences of how staff and interns "get along."  The requirements
for a tour guide at our museum are not great; hopefully one enjoys "working
with the public" and has at least a high school diploma, but this isn't
necessary.  (I myself have a masters in natural resources, with an emphasis
in environmental interpretation and was told when I interviewed that I was
"overqualified.")  An intern who would be majoring in some aspect of the
museum field would obviously be more knowledgeable, and I wonder if this
might not create friction between him/her and the staff.
Susannah West
John Rankin House
Ripley, Ohio

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