Having received an internship this last summer, I can say that while money was a definite plus, I wanted useful experience more than anything.  I wish the work I performed would have been more focused on curatorial functions and less on administrative.  While I can now say I have "experience" with collection management software, having worked professionally long before changing my career paths, I already have an excellent sense of computers - and in reality there is not a lot of difference between one database and another.  I certainly was hoping to do more than massive amounts of data entry.

Because I am a graduate student (thankfully nearing the end of my studies!) I wanted more meat - i.e. exhibit development, research, etc.  I already had most of the knowledge I was given at my internship.  In fairness, I believe it would have been great for an undergrad considering museum work, just not right for a museum studies grad student.

So there is my two-cents worth!

Lisa

----- Original Message -----

From: Indigo Nights <[log in to unmask]>

Date: Monday, October 3, 2005 4:21 pm

Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Supervising Interns - The Other Side of the Coin

> There's been a hearty thread on this topic, directed
> from the perspective of the person
> "hiring"/supervising the intern. It begs the
> question, however:
>
> "What do interns want during their experience?"
>
> Obviously, the first answer is money, and the second
> is a job following the internship.
>
> Absent those, what else would you like to get from an
> internship? Without naming names, what are some of
> the positives you've seen, and what might you have
> liked handled differently?
>
> We've a lot of young people on list, and I suspect
> their answers could be informative for those who
> supervise.
>
>
>
> Indigo Nights
> [log in to unmask]
>
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