Reflecting on my Time at the BMI

 

            I would consider my time at the Baltimore Museum of Industry as an archival intern as well spent.  This experience aided me as I choose which field I wish to enter after I graduate.  I have been interested in archives for a little over a year, after taking a course on museums last summer.  I spent the Fall 2022 semester and the Spring 2023 semester applying for as many internships in archives as I could find in the surrounding area.  I eventually landed a position with the Baltimore Museum of Industry under Maggi Marzolf. 

I used the skills that I have learned in the classroom of analyzing, reading, and attention to detail during my internship experience.  I also acquired many new skills specific to archives, such as accessioning, deaccessioning, and other archival procedures.  This was the most interesting and important part of the internship for me.  I had no previous experience working in archives, so I wanted to take this opportunity to see if it is a career I would like to further pursue.  I really liked the range of tasks that I was able to complete each day.  As someone who does not like to sit and do one thing for too long, I enjoyed the fact that every few hours I could leave one project and work on another one.  This did not mean I abandoned the project, just that I would split my time up among a few each day.  I also liked the diversity of tasks.  There were times when I would be very physically active, moving boxes of materials, or pallets full of boxes and there were other tasks where I would be sitting at a computer digitizing finding aids.  Finally, my favorite part of this internship was the interesting historical material I had the chance to look through.  A time that I will always remember was when I was undertaking an inventory of a flat file, where I came across an old newspaper from 1776.  I was so excited that I had to sit down and read the whole front page. 

This experience showed me that I can do a job I love, while still being close to history.  I am now considering Graduate Programs in Information and Library Science to further my knowledge of archives and continue to pursue this field as a career.  I would highly recommend the Baltimore Museum of Industry as a destination for any prospective intern looking to work in public history.  Everyone there was extremely kind and welcoming to me and I learned a lot from everyone.    

“Collections & Archives- The Baltimore Museum of Industry.” The Baltimore Museum of Industry, https://www.thebmi.org/collections/.  Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.