tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post887440341757875763..comments2024-03-27T05:04:39.476-07:00Comments on Museum 2.0: The Voluntary ApprenticeNina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-76608945883929661312007-06-27T20:54:00.000-07:002007-06-27T20:54:00.000-07:00Interesting article, you make some interesting poi...Interesting article, you make some interesting points. I learn more about The Voluntary Apprentice.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.museumdir.com" REL="nofollow">museum dir</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-84225281814772322642007-06-13T15:40:00.000-07:002007-06-13T15:40:00.000-07:00The topic of mentoring/apprenticeship has been com...The topic of mentoring/apprenticeship has been coming up a bit lately in nonprofit circles (see <A HREF="http://fromthepipeline.blogspot.com/2007/06/what-nonprofits-can-learn-from-beauty.html" REL="nofollow">this post</A>, for example) and one that I'm really glad to see being brought to the forefront--thanks for blogging about this. <BR/><BR/>I agree 100% that apprenticeships are a wonderful way to both get your foot in the door and gain experience, and I hope that museums (will) see that this process benefits them as well. Often I hear museum staff complain that they don't have the time to babysit an intern. This points directly to the problem that you describe regarding internships: the purpose is to expose the intern to the workings of the museum and then they go away--there is little reason for the museum to actually invest time or effort into these people.<BR/><BR/>But with an apprentice, the value is obvious: you are carefully crafting someone to be a useful member of your team.<BR/><BR/>When I was fresh out of college, I wrote to a then-new curator at the local art museum, introducing myself and explaining why I wanted to work with him--for free--and why he should want to take me on and train me. He agreed, on the condition that someday in the future, I would similarly take people on.<BR/><BR/>I'd like to think that I've treated the interns I have had over the years more as apprentices than as interns. I've gone out of my way to include them in daily activities, working with them side-by-side and often giving them "juicy" stuff to do while I did drudgery, and giving them increasing responsibility and in some cases autonomy. In one case, the result was that when I left my position, there was someone ready and already completely trained to fill the void.<BR/><BR/>Still, I wonder how many museums are willing to embrace the idea of apprenticeships? With so many people in the museum field and so few jobs, I have found that a lot of museum staff members just aren't willing to give up their secrets enough to really share with an apprentice.Allyson Lazarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01302318897832621133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-52541108336130987452007-06-12T07:17:00.000-07:002007-06-12T07:17:00.000-07:00As a newly graduated MLS with an archives emphasis...As a newly graduated MLS with an archives emphasis and an interest in public history, I think that this is a fabulous idea. I recently completed a practicum/internship (120 hours) as a part of my MLS program, and while it was a fantastic experience for me (I got a lot of great experience in arranging and describing collections, and a relatively decent idea about the rest of the workings of the institution), I believe I would have benefitted substantially from a longer, more in-depth experience...and I believe the institution that took me in would have been able to see more long-term benefits from my apprenticeship. <BR/><BR/>This is becoming especially clear to me as I search for jobs...my local committee work and practicum experiences are valuable, but many jobs ask for 1-2 years of experience, which I don't have at the moment. <BR/><BR/>So, what I'm laboring to say is, thanks for giving me an idea for other avenues to pursue!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com