I agree with Amy. To quote from her message: "The keys for a successful internship, I think, are similar to most volunteer positions- the staff should have a commitment to orienting you and supervising you. I know that paid internships can be hard to come by, but on a graduate level I think they are important and I think they ensure more of an institutional commitment (they are paying you for your time, so they are going to provide you with what you need to be productive). A set work space is a good thing, as is your own name tag and attendance at staff meetings- things that make you feel like a part of the institution." I completed a total of four museum-related internships as an undergraduate and graduate student. The first, during my junior year of college, was at the Royal Armouries, HM Tower of London. This was my first introduction to museum work and what convinced me to pursue a graduate degree in museum studies. The staff gave me the opportunity to get involved in many different aspects of museum work. I wrote catalog entries, learned about collections care and conservation, did research, met with visitors, attended auctions to purchase new acquisitions, and even hung around the set of the "Blue Peter" television show to supervise collections that were being used in an educational segment. I was the only intern and the staff truly made a commitment to involving me in their work. It's been ten years since I completed this internship, but I still keep in touch with many of the staff. In fact, I was in England this past March and visited both the Tower of London and new Royal Armouries Museums in Leeds. I completed three internships while a graduate student at the George Washington University -- only one of which was at a museum. The other two were at the Institute of Museum and Library Service (then just IMS) and the National Park Service's NAGPRA Program. My internship at the museum (I won't name names) was a disappointment. It was a large institution and I wasn't aware that my supervisor had several interns until I started. My supervisor also went on vacation for a few weeks while I was there. I was lucky if I saw this person once a week. Since I was actually paying for the privilege of interning there (internship was for course credit), I felt shortchanged. I made the best of it and took it upon myself to create projects for myself. I even kept a weekly journal of what I did so my supervisor would have some basis for assigning me a grade. Although I'm good at working independently, a person should not take on an intern unless they are willing to spend the time with them. An intern is different than a volunteer. I was there to learn, but I think my supervisor saw me as only free labor. I learned from the above experience and made sure that my next two internships had a specific focus. At both IMLS and the National Park Service, I was given a specific assignment to complete. This way my supervisor had a basis for grading me and I could feel as if I made a contribution to the agency. The staff at both these agencies made themselves readily available to me as well. I was given my own workspace and included in staff meetings where I would report on my assignments. This made me feel like I was a part of the staff. In the end, I not only wound up with letters of recommendation from both these agencies, but jobs as well. Cheers! Laura ****************************************************** Laura M. Mahoney Grants Administration Specialist Institute of Museum and Library Services 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 223 Washington, DC 20506 (202) 219-3684 (202) 606-0395 FAX [log in to unmask] ***************************************************** ========================================================= 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).