Gail,

I have worked with interns in museums of varying size
and there are many options depending on the need of
the museum and the student.

In order for interns to receive course credit, their
university program needs to approve the internship and
a professor needs to oversee it. The university
professor is the person who gives the credit and/or
grade. They might make a site visit or two and ask for
a paper about the internship experience. It is also a
good idea for the intern to keep a daily journal of
the work they are doing at the museum. 

How the course would be listed would be up to the
school, but it is similar to an independent study. It
would depend what type of museum, what type of work
within the museum is being done, and what track of
study the student is on. 

It is up to the museum how they would like to select
interns. They may have a formal application process
requiring a cv, references, essay, and interview, or,
they may take interns based on a recommendation from a
professor at the university who has a relationship
with people at the museum, or, they may take anyone
who asks to intern who seems serious. 

One of the most important things regarding interns is
the question of time commitment. It takes staff time
to work with interns, but a good intern can do
invaluable work. It is important that a time
commitment is agreed on up front, one day a week, full
time, or somewhere in between. Again this will depend
on the needs and abilities of the museum, the student,
and the university.

Hope this helps.

-Andrea Cakars


--- Gail Anderson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I would be interested to hear from university
> museums who utilize 
> student interns from your school in your museum. 
> Here are some of the 
> issues I am seeking help on.
> 
> Do the students receive course credit and if so, who
> is listed as the 
> professor and/or supervisor?  Is this a grade or
> pass/fail?
> What kind of number does it have -- art, art
> history, other?
> 
> Do qualified staff members have faculty appointments
> that allow them to 
> oversee work done in their museum or do faculty
> members outside of the 
> museum oversee the work?
> 
> How are the interns selected?  Who have oversight of
> the procedure and 
> responsibility for the students?
> 
> These are just a few of my questions, but it is a
> good start.  I would 
> appreciate any comments or feedback on this topic. I
> thank you in 
> advance for taking time to help.
> 
> Gail
> 
> Gail Kana Anderson
> Assistant Director/Curator of Collections
> Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
> The University of Oklahoma
> 555 Elm Avenue
> Norman, Oklahoma 73019
> t. 405.325.1664; f. 405.325.7696
> 
>
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