Final Blog

In mid-June, the Maryland Historical Society will be unveiling a new exhibit on how, and why, they acquire the artifacts that they do.  While subconsciously I knew planning a new exhibit was more than finding topical artifacts, however, I did not know how much work went into the various stages of planning.  There were entire days when Paul and I were locating various objects and helping to stage them for photographs.  The pictures are to draw attention for the exhibit in the Historical Society’s in-house magazine.

On top of staging items for photos, I spent about an hour with Alexandra, Historical Society’s Senior Curator, and Thom, owner of JPL Custom Framing, while observing them pick frames for several of the textile pieces for the exhibit.  I did not realize there was that much to consider when picking a frame.  You have to consider the depth of the piece, the glass, and matting.  It gets even more complicated when you have to factor in that one piece had not gone through the conservation process.  Alexandra and Thom had to pick frames deep enough to ensure there was enough room for a spacer between the textile piece and the matting so as to not cause any more undue stress on the fabric.  I am a little too used to going to Michael’s and picking out a frame without much thought.

Aside from helping with all of the background work that goes into planning an exhibit, I was most excited be a part of unpacking several of Eubie Blake’s instruments.  I was able to see the instruments that were to remain in the Historical Society’s possession, namely his travel organ and piano, as well as his banjo.  There were other pieces that were temporarily being housed in the Historical Society until the Smithsonian came to claim them – like his dulcimer.  Paul and I spent an afternoon conducting Google searches on how to properly repack his travel organ – several YouTube videos later we figured it out from trial and error.  We figured if Eubie was willing to haul them around from city to city it had to be easier than we were making it out to be and we were right!

All in all, my internship was very informative and enjoyable.  Not only did it allow me real world experience – for credit – but it also provided me with the knowledge that I would definitely like to continue working in Collections.  Before the internship started I had plans to focus on curating exhibits, but now I think I would like to focus my studies on Collections Management with the hopes of obtaining a position as a Registrar.  Though my time there is finished for the semester, I will be back in the fall purely as a volunteer and I may request if I could shadow the Allie, Historical Society’s Registrar, to learn more about the Collections aspect of a museum.

RobotFest!

RobotFest is an annual event at the National Electronics Museum where vendors come to show off their enthusiasm for their gear and robots. The entire museum is packed from wall to wall with stations where people come just to share their equipment, and the floor is packed with people who come to see them. I had never seen a 3-D printer before this event, but by the end of the day I had seen every shape and size 3-D printer that is on the market. I even ate an action figure printed with mashed potatoes. The event was full of positive energy, and more people came to the event than I could have anticipated. I even bumped into an R2-D2 rolling around the conference room.

Though there were plenty of other fun activities and interesting things to see, I chose to sit at the solder station and help children put together soldering activity kits. It was rewarding to pass on my soldering skills to the next generation of technicians. I think that I may have had more fun soldering than children.

I am going to shameless endorse this event, and encourage everyone who reads this to go to RobotFest next year if you have the chance. You are guaranteed to learn about modern technology, meet interesting people, and stare directly into the eyes of a life-size Chicken Walker.

So Monday was the last day at START for all of the interns, so this entry is a little bit later than the others for that reason.  I have to say that the experience was very eye opening.  I got to look at terrorist events from a completely different angle.  The way that the researchers there view and think about acts of terrorism is completely different than the way an every day citizen thinks about them.  The last few weeks we were working on a project that was attempting to project the future of certain types of terrorist attacks.  This was by far the most exciting and interesting work we did all semester. Probably the most important as well.  We were trained to perform a certain kind of research called Horizon Scanning which doesn't attempt to predict one certain type of attack, but instead looks at the probability of several different types of attacks happening within a given time period.  So for example, attack type A is only 10 percent likely in the next two years, 25 percent likely in the next five years, and 50 percent likely in the next ten years and then assesses the likelihood of several other attacks within that same time period.  From this you can look at trends and focus your time and resources in the area where the attack is most probable to occur.  It's a very different way of looking at a problem, with no definitive answer.  Overall I would have to say that my time spent at START was very informative, and opened my eyes to the possibility of a different career path that I never thought would be open to History majors.  While I still don't know if I want to follow that particular path, at least I have a better knowledge of that field when it comes down to making that decision.  I would highly encourage anyone to apply to the internship, especially if you're not sure what you want to do after school.  There are so many opportunities in this path and they are all open to graduates with good writing and analysis skills.  From intelligence analyst to regional risk assessment, the skills that you gain while studying history all transfer over.  Do yourself a favor an at least look into it.  At the very least you will gain some very valuable insights into where a degree in history can take you.

Final Post-Grow & Fortify

With my final post upon the completion of my internship I cannot express my appreciation for the opportunity I had working for Grow & Fortify. I have learned a significant amount as the legislative intern for the CEO of the company and in working with the amazing staff that tirelessly labor for their clients throughout Maryland. In April, Maryland’s 2016 legislative session came to a close and I had the chance to be in Annapolis to see how everything happens. Being able to be there to witness the results of my project throughout the semester was both thrilling and tense. The last day of the 2016 session is a frantic day as the Maryland legislature holds several sessions to pass all of the remaining bills. From 9:00am until midnight, I got to experience everything that went into the process. Throughout it we met with several delegates and state senators to learn about the status of our bills and their expected passage. What was most striking was the fact that, no matter how much progress you may have made in the previous months, anything can happen in the final day of the session as representatives seek to have certain bills stopped and others passed. Fortunately, the majority of the bills I worked on passed that day. The bill I spoke of in my previous post was one of those that passed; along with others I had the opportunity to provide insight and arguments for. Because of their successful passing, I also had the opportunity to return to Annapolis to be there for the Governor’s signing of them. I learned a tremendous amount throughout the semester regarding the political process and in the drafting of legislation. I will never forget what I have learned and am very thankful for the experience. What I am most fortunate for, however, is the opportunity to use my skills as a historian to research and provide insight into the laws that needed to be made to support our clients as they have and will develop over the years.

Along with this, I was asked to research the possibility of the company taking on additional clients. Out of confidentiality I will not disclose who these clients may be but their addition would be a great benefit for the company. However, it is also one requiring careful analysis and thought. I researched several articles and the history of the industry to gain insight into its trajectory and any possible issues that may arise in the years to come. It was a great feeling to be asked to provide such insight and to use the writing and research skills I developed as a historian to analyze past trends and make predictions about the future. As I worked on this, I was also asked to consider a possible position with the company for a short time in completing another project after my internship. This project will be an in depth history and analysis of the craft alcohol industry in the state, providing Maryland legislatures a resource to familiarize themselves with the industry. I am very thankful for such an opportunity and look forward to continuing to work with Grow & Fortify. My internship experience has been very rewarding and I am thankful to my supervisor and all those at the company that gave me the chance to work with them and who taught me so much. In addition to the legislative and political insight I gained, I also learned a lot about my skills as a historian. I researched several topics throughout my project this semester to familiarize myself with issues that developed over several years and to help compose legislation to achieve a goal. What this has shown me and I hope shows others is that as historians, we develop great analytical and research skills that can serve us well throughout multiple industries.

Museum Director: The Profession

Museum Director: The Profession

A museum director is ultimately responsible for all aspects of museum, in function, in aesthetics, and in finance. The role of a museum director is not simply to give tours or make major decision, but rather it is an all encompassing position that requires intimate knowledge of the museum. The director does not only know all aspects of each exhibit, but also must account for the finances of the museum. Though each museum, and thus the responsibilities of each museum director, are unique, the director holds primacy over their museum. The director is ultimately accountable for all duties of the museum, even those delegated to another person.

Museum directors typically begin as a curators, and only after years spent working at the museum will they become the director. Directors typically hold their position for long periods of time and the selection process for a new director can be long and arduous. Larger museums can split the position into two separate roles: artistic director and business head. A small museum may require its director to perform duties that typically a person in a leadership role would not be expected to perform. Regardless of the size of the museum, the director is in a leadership role, and all aspects of the museum are their business.

The role of an intern at a museum is even less specific than that of the director. The intern is responsible for helping the director to perform the duties necessary to keep the museum running. As an intern, one ought to be delighted to lift the burden of the director by completing tasks that the director would otherwise have to do themselves. The position of intern is certainly the least stressful job in the museum, and if the intern is lucky, it could be the most fun.

The director's leadership role in the museum is perhaps the most important aspect of the job, as leadership is the primary role of a director. A successful museum director displays excellent leadership skills, and leadership is not the sort of thing that can be learned from a book. Leadership is an abstract concept with no quantifiable measure of proficiency. Leadership is an intrinsic skill, however, and it can be cultivated and improved. In addition to leadership skills, a prerequisite to being a museum director is having a graduate degree.

Final Post USHMM

As my internship at the Holocaust Museum comes to a close, there is a bittersweet ending to it all. Obviously I am grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me. I have been able to utilize both my Russian language and my deep admiration for history in the archival field. I got to feel like my work and the work we did at the Memorial Museum meant a lot more than labeling videocassettes or translating Russian interviews into English. We were able to provide indefinably valuable information to the rest of the world. In this digital age, ignorance can no longer be permitted in society. While working at the Linthicum branch, I was able to see some of the 3D objects. These included suitcases, carts, and even uniforms worn by actual Holocaust victims. What was interesting about the uniforms was that they had purple patches still on them, signifying them as Jehovah’s witnesses. There is something to be said to see these objects in person versus in a photo or in a film, or movie. There is a realization that all of these horrific events actually occurred. There is a power evoked seeing objects witness to the unimaginable genocide. It is a bitter goodbye because there is still so much work to be done. The generation of those who laid witness to the Holocaust is dying out; their stories dying with them. Oral history is one of the major ways to acquire these memories, and I would love to continue working along side the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in their quest of fulfilling their mission statement: Never Again. I want to thank James Gilmore, an archives specialist, and all of the people at the Holocaust Museum immensely for allowing me to have this opportunity. I think that I will never again be the same person.

Priddy Library Internship-Final Blog Post

            My internship at the Priddy Library these past few months have been eye-opening and rewarding. As was planned, the Zika virus exhibit was completed and put up for display in mid-April. On five different panels, we explained the history, transmission, prevention, and symptoms of the virus. In addition to these five panels, three posters from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that included facts about mosquito bite prevention were displayed. Part of the importance of libraries comes from their position to reach out and inform the public and the Priddy Library has done just that. As summer approaches and our contact with mosquitos is bound to increase, the library held this exhibit and hosted a panel discussion to educate the public about the risks of the Zika virus should it reach Maryland. The two mosquitos that have been found to carry the virus can live as far north as Maryland so the possibility that the virus will affect our state is not unimaginable. The panel included four experts who spoke on the current information that is known about the Zika virus and detailed the steps Maryland has already taken and will continue to take to fight the spread of the virus.

  

The Zika virus exhibit was the last scheduled exhibit for the semester so I was introduced to Omeka. Omeka is an online tool that allows users to publish their exhibits online. The user can create a collection and add items to it such as still images, videos, or oral interviews. When the item is added, 16 fields of metadata are filled in. Metadata describes the nature of the collection or item added and gives information such as the creator, description, and coverage. So far, I have gone through each exhibit that was displayed this semester as well exhibits from previous semesters. Thankfully for me, Omeka does not require an in depth background in technology—it is actually designed for users who are not IT specialists. Nevertheless, it is an important tool to be familiar with as more and more academic libraries are using it. Omeka is just one piece of the valuable experience and knowledge that I have gained through this internship. I have also come to have a greater understanding for the role libraries play in communities—whether in an academic setting like this or a public one. They inform and educate the public while encouraging them to think critically. While my plans after I get my degree continue to be a big question mark, this internship has shown me that library science is a serious possibility after graduation.