I have a history student as an exhibit intern this semester. He's really sharp with building mounts and handling artwork. He's a great asset to have for a few months. Last semester, he didn't know he wanted to work in a museum, but in the three months he's been working here, he knows that's what he wants to do. He didn't even know building exhibitions was a career option. So this internship is shaping his life, and adding a good professional to our field. I've turned down interns who I thought would be black hole of staff time. But if a student is professional, and has good follow-up, I'll take a risk on them. Daniel On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 11:34 AM, John Marks < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > My best intern of all time loved history, but she REALLY loved having > things in order - her cataloging and organizational skills were impeccable. > You should definitely ask if they love [the tasks you really need done] - > yes, there will be history along the way, but s/he needs to looovvee doing > layout for publications, or scanning photos, or doing marketing. A love of > history is why we apply our skills to this career, but we have to love > doing certain tasks, too. (yeah, yeah, "love" is stretching it some days, I > know....) > > John Marks > Curator of Collections & Exhibits > Geneva (NY) Historical Society > > > On 4/17/2012 12:09 PM, Christa McCay wrote: > >> 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 >> >> ==============================**=========================== >> Important Subscriber Information: >> >> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/** >> museum-l-faq/ <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/ <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). > -- Daniel J. Lay Preparator, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 405.878.5606 1900 W. MacArthur Shawnee, OK 74804 ========================================================= 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).