I am currently setting up a work schedule in our community history museum archives with a first-time intern who has coursework in museum studies under her belt. I am looking forward to this relationship, but have some sensitive questions to ask of those with more experience. I have trained interns before, but under a contract with a school who had specific measurements for each intern. Through our one-on-one close working relationship, this intern is getting the hands-on practicum missing in her museum studies program. We are primarily working in collections and archives management, but I am also training her to do oral histories in the community in preparation for interpretive exhibits. This intern is eager and willing and will be a great asset, but I am concerned about her insecurity in using English (her second language). Way back when I was an intern, I found the technique of keeping an intern project journal to be very helpful. I kept it as more of a diary and entered every question into it, and my museum studies supervisor would read through it once or twice a month and would give specific feedback in those areas where I was unsure. It was nearly instant feedback and took care of what might have otherwise developed into problems, since my own intern experience did not include direct museum supervision. I will be meeting with this intern to define her project together on October 4th, and would like some feedback from this discussion group: would you advise me to set up a similar intern journal system with this intern? She is amenable to and requests correction of her misuse of the language, and I thought it might be a good way to catch misinformation, misunderstandings and misspellings fairly instantly (I would ask her to go over the week's work with me, and to point out things she felt insecure about). The last thing I want to imply is that she is incapable--she certainly is not. I think of the working relationship as two-way communication, because one of her extremely valuable assets is as an interpreter/translator for labels and outreach. I need her world view as much as she needs to be able to write catalog notes and labels correctly in her second language. I also want to help her develop confidence in people skills, an area she already has well under control but encounters some initial difficulty (with English speakers) as she has hearing aids. We will be working together about eight hours a week, and she will also work independently and with other volunteers. She will be paid for this internship, so it behooves me to train her well and quickly. One other problem, or I think of it as a potential problem. The museum manager thinks of the intern now as a Curator, which I am not comfortable with because she lacks on-the-ground experience and even has some academic gaps, and collections management is not her field of study (cross-cultural museum education is). It's a bit awkward, I don't want her to think you can take a course or two and get a paid job as a Curator of Collections-- and everyone on this list knows that is pretty much a fantasy. How on earth am I to handle this-- I want to increase her confidence, not belittle her lack of experience or seem to conflict with another authority. I noticed that the museum manager already made a permanent badge for her that says Curator, not Intern. Admittedly, I am thinking of my full year as a 20-hour a week unpaid intern before I even graduated, and I need to get that undercurrent of resentment out of the picture too! Thank you all, my wonderful colleagues, for any responses you can provide. Micki Ryan Curator Highline Historical Society [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of David Harvey Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 7:40 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Supervising Interns Katie, This is indeed a good topic. I have supervised interns for years in a variety of situations - from museum conservation labs to a university-based regional lab, to private practice. I have had interns who are either in a BA or BS program in college, in a Masters program in conservation or museum studies, and post-graduates as well. I think that it is important to offer all interns, no matter their experience or knowledge, a balance of both intellectual and physical tasks, along with a project all their own if there is sufficient time. I also encouraged interns to publish short articles or to do posters on specific aspects of what they encountered that most interested them during their time in the lab. There may also be requirements in their educational institutions as to developing a portfolio of projects or writing a comprehensive report on their internship. In return, you can have a very positive and energized young person who can contribute and move projects ahead.I also made a point of getting the interns out of the lab and encountering the collections in the multitude of ways that they are used in interpretation, exhibits, etc. And it is so beneficial to have an intern at work in the lab when you have visits by the board or public tours - as it is an entry into a conversation about the profession and how to get into our great field. Like anyone in any position, I think that interns need a diversity of experiences, and projects have to be chosen with the best likelihood for success, so that positive experiences build on top on one another. In conservation we are training the intellect, as well as the muscles, eyes, and hands. So, even though much of this is about "doing" it is equally important to cultivate and develop the ability to "see" and to evolve the critical skills in intellectually aproaching objects and treatments. Even though some may not be in conservation or museum work anymore, I am still in touch with many of my interns, some from now many years ago. Cheers! Dave David Harvey Conservator Los Angeles, California, USA On 9/27/05, Katie Wadell <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Museum-L-ers, > > Would anyone be interested in discussing techniques and skills for > supervising interns, either on-line or off-line? How do you train your > interns, plan projects for them, etc? How do they fit into the life of your > institution? What do you expect from them, and does that line up with what > they expect from you? > > I'm considering an article on managing interns and internships, and would > love to ask questions and collect real-life examples of effective management > - and real-life problems or insecurities. (I know I've been a lousy intern > supervisor at times!) I recently got into a discussion on the problems of > supervising and motivating interns, and was encouraged to write on the > topic by someone else who wanted advice. I'd also love to hear from former > interns who benefited from good supervision- what did your supervisors do > that was particularly effective? > > Thanks so much, > > Katie Wadell > ========================================================= > 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). > > ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).