A love of history/art is a great start, but cannot be all that an intern brings. They also have to help you accomplish something while learning. Basic computer skills are not a hefty requirement, these days 11 and 12 year olds can type and know how to use basic computer functions and concepts. Even if you do have an intern with exceptional computer skills, they have to learn the hows and whys of YOUR museum. The last thing you want is an intern who decides to do database entries in their own way. Internships carry a balance of teaching skills and giving realistic expectations. We don't necessarily want to crush their dreams, but some dreams are fairy tales and a dose of realism is a good thing. I have worked with and trained many many interns, and at their core, no matter what they know coming in, what made the difference and made me love some and want to strangle others, was the willingness to learn the hows and whys, the willingness to ask questions, and the willingness to do it right the first time, as instructed (so I don't have to go back and re-inventory thousands of artifacts where they failed to actually look IN the boxes when checking off that artifacts were there... note: I was not the supervisor of THOSE interns) On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 1:44 PM, David Harvey <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I have to say that selecting and supervising an internship is very > different than hiring someone for a staff position. > > Frankly it is illegal to use interns as you do other workers. An > educational component is required. This hit the news almost two years ago > where audits by the IRS had turned up abuses in the use of interns in > for-profit and non-profit organizations. > > So why are some out there looking for interns who already have the skills > they would require for a staff job? An internship is about developing those > skills and in continuing their education with experience so that they can > get a staff job in the field after the internship. > > I agree that general and critical thinking skills are needed and that > those, along with communication and people skills, may be more valuable > than previous specific experience. > > Over the years I have had many interns who I selected to work for me in a > museum and a regional conservation lab. These ranged from those who were > getting their BA to those who were post graduate interns aspiring for staff > positions after the internship. I always looked for the love or enthusiasm > of the field (including History, Art, and Science) along with writing and > critical thinking skills. And since this was a conservation lab internship > demonstrated hand skills were essential. > > Yes, the interns I had did a lot of the basic work we had to do, but I > always made sure that they had time to be involved and to get to know the > wider activities of the museum, they were assigned a minimum of one project > where they were required to do research and write an article or paper about > their project. We also spent time to help them understand what a career in > the field consisted of. I am proud that many of my interns went on to > graduate school and also important positions in the field. And I am equally > proud of those who loved the experience but their lives led them elsewhere. > > In my opinion to educate and enhance a young person's life in a positive > way, to be part of a process of mentoring them into the field, and to > encourage and support their careers, makes internships as valuable a > component of my life as it is to theirs. > > Cheers! > Dave > > David Harvey > Senior Conservator and Museum Conservator > Los Angeles CA > > > > > On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 10:07 AM, Callie Stewart < > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> 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.gov as the primary email domain for all state employees. For >>> example: [log in to unmask] will now be [log in to unmask] The email >>> addresses ending in @state.pa.us will continue to function so that >>> emails will never be interrupted. We appreciate your cooperation as we take >>> a small step to increase the usability and consistency of the >>> commonwealth's online communications. >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L >>> list, click the following link: >>> <[log in to unmask]> >>> http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 >>> >> > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > ========================================================= 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). 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