Absolutely not!!!  I am currently in the process of hiring a summer intern
and I expect them to already have relevant experience and a degree.  I am
more lenient with volunteer interns, but I still expect them to earn their
keep and "loving history" is not part of the job description.  I learned
the hard way that accepting anyone who walks through the door with a "love
of art" can end up being a disaster and a waste of everyone's time.  That
being said, I think that basic intelligence and common sense can be a lot
more valuable then specific skills.  If you have an intern who can learn to
do A,B and C quickly and has good research skills, they can be a lot more
useful then one who already knows X,Y and Z, but can't problem solve or
think on their feet.

Honestly, I don't care if they stay in the profession or not.  Who knows
where they're going to end up in life.  I wish them all the best, but their
life is not my business or my concern.  Perhaps your experience will
inspire them to become your future big donor.  As long as they are
satisfied with the experience and the museum gets something useful out of
their time, then everybody wins!

What has shocked me is how few applicants (some of them very good and well
educated) know how to format a cover letter.  It's not hard to Google these
things.  Why does no one know where to put the date? Or that you are
supposed to actually *sign* your name???

On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 12:38 PM, Fox, Amy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Frustrating as it is to devote scarce time and energy to supervising
> interns who love history but don't plan to stay in the museum field, you
> might think of it as an investment in future audiences, museum members,
> board members, and supporters. Easy for me to say, since it's not my
> investment of time, but I've known some interns through the years who
> didn't become museum professionals but are fine citizens, nevertheless, and
> have a good understanding of our field. Ultimately you're weighing the
> short-term benefit of an intern with the long-term benefits, which you may
> not reap. But that's true if they go into the museum profession, too.
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Amy Killpatrick Fox
> Museum Educator
> Bureau of Historic Sites & Museums, PHMC
> Commonwealth Keystone Building
> 400 North St.
> Harrisburg, PA  17120
> 717/772-1967
> Website:  www.patrailsofhistory.com
> Blog: Trailheads--http://patrailheads.blogspot.com
>
> Notice: On **Friday, July 29th**, the commonwealth will be adding @pa.govas the primary email domain for all state employees. For example:
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>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Christa McCay
> Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 12:09 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Is a love of history enough for interns?
>
> Hello All,
>
> My question is about interns.  After having recently interviewing over
> 20 interns for the summer semester (fyi, we are a staff of 4 and will
> have more interns then staff at the Museum this summer), I have begun
> to feel that potential interns think that a love of history is enough
> to get them a position.  Is it really enough?
> I have begun to feel that no it?s not.  Often times they don?t have
> the experience with basic computer programs or with graphic design
> programs (mainly exhibits and marketing interns).  I understand with
> this economy getting an internship and experience is the best for
> their resume and for getting a job after college.  Also I understand
> that people need to start their experience somewhere,but most of these
> students don?t want to be in the Museum world when they graduate and
> often times assume that they will get to ?play? with cool artifacts
> all day.  We all know that the truth is, there is a lot of paperwork
> involved with maintaining a collection along with data entry, both of
> which are not glamorous or very exciting.
> I know that our job is to teach interns but like many of us, we are
> juggling multiple tasks to make up for the positions that are
> currently empty and can?t be filled due to budget.  Our teaching and
> training time is limited.  I do want to have interns with a passion
> for history but also a passion to work in Museums.  I sometimes feel
> like my time was wasted trying to teach and train someone who just
> wanted to do this for fun.
>
> I am sorry if this sounds like whining or sour grapes but I would like
> to know from others if a love of history is enough?
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Christa McCay, M.H.P.
> Registrar
> Marietta Museum of History
> 1 Depot Street, Ste. 200
> Marietta, GA 30060
> 770-794-5726
>
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-- 
Callie R. Stewart
Collections Manager
Bennington Museum
75 Main Street
Bennington, Vermont 05201
tel (802) 447-1571
fax (802) 442-8305
www.benningtonmuseum.org

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).