I finished my graduate work in the Museum Studies program at the University of New Hampshire last June, where I was required to complete two internships. I had some knowledge but little experience. The reason I chose to go into the field in the first place was because of an internship I completed as an undergrad at the Rensselaer County Historical Society in Troy, NY. I was extremely fortunate that my "love of history" was enough to get me a gig doing a research project for them. I loved it. I went on to work as a tour guide at small local museums both in NY and NH as I completed my schooling. My first NH internship was at the American Independence Museum, another small but fantastic museum where I learned a LOT - not only about what it was like to create and present programs for the museum's many audiences, but also that in a small museum, everybody does a little of everything. 

I currently work at another small museum where I am one of four staff members. The "on-the-job" training I received at AIM and my other internships certainly helped prepare me for my professional career. There is just no escaping the fact that there are quite a few unglamorous tasks that need to be done that are integral to museum operation. I learned that at my internships. It's good for interns to see this side of museum work. It's good to see that it's not just playing with fun artifacts all day or digging your hands into research: it's also taking out the trash, setting up tables and tents for events, cleaning, etc. (In fact, within my first month here I had to help dispose of a dead chicken during our summer craft fair - they don't teach you that in grad school!) 

I agree with the others who have chimed in that it takes writing skills, commitment, basic computer knowledge, etc. But it also takes passion. It's now my job to manage interns, and I hope I can give to them the same opportunities I had. I personally don't care at all if they want to go into the field as long as they're passionate and willing to learn - the things they learn here can be valuable to them in other areas of their lives. I am where I am today because someone took a chance on me, and I will always be deeply thankful for that. 



On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 1:02 PM, Adam MacPharlain <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Good morning Christa and all,
 
While I am not in a position to hire or supervise interns, I am an emerging museum professional with my internships in the not-so-distant past. My undergraduate degree is in Apparel Design, and during my time at university I completed two internships: one in the fashion industry of NYC and the other at a state historical society working primarily with historical costume. I bring this up because, at that time, I was a student who "loved history" but had no idea that I would end up in the heritage sector.
 
Some of these interns you are working with may well start off unsure of what path they want to take, and yes, some may be there for perceived fun. An internship is (or should be) an opportunity to discover and hone our passions. If an intern decides that museum work is not for them, so be it. My opinion is, if they do the job well during their internship, that's all you can ask for.
 
Hope this is an encouragement to all of you out their supervising interns!
 
Best,
 
Adam MacPharlain
859.200.2320
[log in to unmask]
 

From: Christa McCay <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 11:09 AM

Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Is a love of history enough for interns?

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

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