This is a great conversation!
I’d also like to make a case as recognizing interns as an important component of our education/community outreach as museums. In my mind, interns represent another audience that we serve. It’s an interesting situation, because we are getting something from them (i.e., the work they are doing for us), but it’s also something I discuss with donors, or mention in our community publications, as a way that we as an organization are being of service to others. Through our internship program, we are providing an educational experience in which potential young professionals are learning more about the work we do, about the workplace generally, and are thinking about how they can apply their experiences at our organization (for better or for worse) into a deeper understanding of the career they envision for themselves. They won’t all go into the museum field, and maybe that’s a good thing: it helps those individuals recognize that line of work isn’t right for them. But as others on this listserv have mentioned, we can hope that they will become (or continue to be) patrons and audiences of museums, even if it’s not the career they’re meant for.
Does this mean that, when you come down to the two applicants, one with love + experience, one with just love, you don’t go with experience? Probably not. After all, as others have mentioned, more and more applicants are looking for internships, and we can’t accept everyone. But perhaps this is an opportunity for museums to look at ways that we can open ourselves up to a broader approach of involving people throughout operations, and in a variety of capacities, so that we can provide a chance for people to build their experience, making them more eligible for such an internship. This might include making volunteer opportunities more meaningful. Offering volunteer opportunities for teens. Holding museum career exploration days to allow high school students a chance to get behind-the-scenes and understand what it takes to work at a museum. I don’t think any of us want to keep people from interning; we just have to be realistic about how much time we can invest in this program. And maybe we need to think about making smaller investments earlier on so we can be a greater resource for more people.
Most sincerely,
Margaret
Margaret Hughes | Director of Educational Initiatives
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
At the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival.
Music and History Play On.
(:: 845.583.2097 | fax 845.295.2444
*:: One Cablevision Center, PO Box 222 | Liberty, NY | 12754
8:: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Pavilion Stage | The Museum at Bethel Woods | Harvest Festival | Education & Outreach
Bethel Woods is a not-for-profit cultural center located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival.
*Make a donation today to support our mission. Visit Support Bethel Woods to learn more.
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Candace Perry
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 2:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Is a love of history enough for interns?
I’ve recently realized something about interns – I know this sounds a little odd, but it actually takes confidence to ask questions. “Is this the way you want it?” “Am I doing this right?” “Is the information I should be looking for?” takes a lot of guts. And those are the interns I think not only succeed in having excellent experiences in their internships, but have a better chance at their careers.
Candace Perry
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Walton
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 2:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Is a love of history enough for interns?
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:
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
To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link:
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