Since my days as an intern aren't that far behind me I think I can be pretty objective. The fact of the matter is that museum work isn;t all glamour and we must all start somewhere. Now I am on the other side where I supervise interns. The work that I often assign interns is work that we all perform ourselves but often don't have the time to complete so it piles up. The work that my interns and volunteers perform provides a great service to our department and is highly valued. I think the term dirty work, degrades both the interns and professionals that perform the basic everyday duties that are part of working in a museum. When "staff" level work is given to interns, especialy when they are not paid is a form of exploitation and is a "great" way to avoid paying a qualified museum professional. While not everyday will be an opening, I would advise all interns and potential interns to maintain an open and positive attitude. There are such things as bad internships, if you think you have one leave. If you have a good one and find that you don't like the work, maybe you should take it as a good sign that museums may not be the path you want to pursue. In any event, Good luck and good internships. Vivian C.R. James The Newark Museum