Internship Summary:
The UNSM Anthropology Collection Internship is designed to teach undergraduate students the essentials of museum collection management. Students will learn how to properly handle, house, research, and catalog collection items.
The Anthropology collections encompass worldwide ethnological and archaeological collections with regional strengths in Asia, Africa, Native North America, Oceania, and the upper Amazon.
Duration: The internship runs the length of the Fall 2024 semester from August 26 through December 20, 2024.
Work Schedule:
The internship is a part time, onsite position requiring 6 to 8 hours of work a week for a semester total of 120 hours.
Responsibilities:
- Object handling and movement.
- Work with collection manager to accession new collection items. This process includes:
- Cleaning objects
- Writing object descriptions
- Writing condition reports
- Object labeling
- Object photography
- Object rehousing (making boxes)
- Cataloging items in the museum database
- Assist in routine preventative conservation (pest management, environmental monitoring, and room cleaning).
- Assist collection manager with other tasks as needed.
- Write weekly social media posts featuring objects from the Anthropology collection.
Knowledge and skills:
- Sophomore, junior, or senior.
- Major relating to material culture (anthropology, art history, history, classics, or other related fields).
- Interest in museums as a career field.
- Collections database interest or experience preferred.
- Photography skills interest or experience preferred.
- Writing and research skills.
- Willingness and desire to learn.
- Attention to detail.
- Excellent organizational skills and flexibility.
- Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Educational Outcomes:
- Intern will gain a foundational understanding of museum collections and collection management.
- Intern will learn about proper object handling and storage.
- Intern will learn about the accessioning process.
- Intern will strengthen writing and research skills, including writing to communicate with the public.
- Intern will learn how to navigate a museum collection database.
Compensation:
This internship is unpaid, and available to be taken as credit. Credit must be arranged with your department advisor.
Applications Materials:
Please include your resume and a one-page statement of interest explaining why you wish to work in the Anthropology collection and your area of interest as part of your application materials.