JOBS / Internship, Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing, MI

Internships at the Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing, MI

AVAILABILITY:
Internships are available at our flagship site in Lansing year-round. Summer internships are available at all our sites around the state including:

• The Michigan Historical Museum Lansing.
  
• Walker Tavern Historic Site, Brooklyn
  
• Fayette Historic Townsite, Garden
  
• Michigan Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee
  
• Tawas Point Lighthouse, East Tawas
  
• Mann House, Concord
  
• Hartwick Pines Logging Museum, Grayling
  
• Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, Roscommon
  
• Fort Wilkins and Copper Harbor Lighthouse, Copper Harbor
  
• Sanilac Petroglyphs, Bad Axe
  
  

INTERN REQUIREMENTS:
Students must:

• Take initiative and be self-motivated;
  
• Be detail-oriented and thorough;
  
• Be Interested in history;
  
• Have an ability to work well individually and on a team;
  
• Be willing to learn new skills;
  
• Enjoy working with people—school children and adults; and
  
• Have good communications skills orally and written;
  
  

MUSEUM STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES:
Museum staff will work with each student to develop specific responsibilities to help them meet their internship goals based on their experience and interest. Education staff will mentor students in their specific areas as well as museum staff from other areas of the museum including Visitor Services and Community Relations.

LEARNING AGREEMENT:
Internships at the Michigan Historical Museum are based on learning objectives defined by the intern, the intern's faculty adviser, and the museum's internship coordinator. The student and internship coordinator develop a project that will be mutually beneficial. The learning objectives will serve as a basis for evaluation and will identify the project, respective responsibilities, the length the internship, arrangements for academic credit, and the evaluation procedure.

EVALUATION:
The intern and supervisor will each write an evaluation of the internship and submit them to the intern's faculty advisor and the museum internship coordinator. Interns are expected to provide the intern supervisor with any evaluation forms from their respective college or university.

CREDITS/GRADES:
Students seeking internships at the Michigan Historical Museum are required to register for internship credits at their respective institutions for admission to the internship program. Museum supervisors will provide evaluations and recommendations but not a grade on their internship. Academic institutions determine the students' grades/credits. Interns must follow their school's requirement to receive credits for their work. The word credit applies to any numerical factors, grades or special arrangements that the school acknowledges for this purpose.

TIME REQUIREMENT:
Flexible; minimum 10 hours a week during the week and/or weekends; fall, winter-spring or summer semester.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Ongoing. Internships offered every semester: fall, winter-spring, summer.
Internship Start Date: ASAP. Internship End Date: To be determined.

TO APPLY:
Send cover letter, completed application form, and resume to:

Martha Bloomfield, Community Relations
Michigan Historical Museum, 702 W. Kalamazoo, Lansing, MI 48909;
Email: bloomfieldm@michigan.gov
Telephone: (517) 373-7441; Fax: (517) 241-4738
Website: www.michiganhistory.org

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNTIIES
The following is a list of unpaid internship opportunities at the Michigan Historical Museum. If a student has a particular interest in the museum field not listed below, he or she may make a proposal to the museum to develop an internship project. Regardless of the particular focus of the project, all students will be required to assist in the delivery of museum education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce students to a broad spectrum of museum work.

Museum Education Interns
The Education intern will plan, develop and conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup. Programs include the "Every Day Life of the Lumberjack," Michigan's Immigrants and Migrants," and "Mining Iron and Copper" for students in grades 4 through 8; "Grandma's and Grandpa's Memories" for children in pre-school through first grade; and "My Community: Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker: for grades 2-3.

• Intern's primary responsibilities: plan, develop and conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and conduct surveys, assess and evaluate museum programs.
  
• Intern's Secondary responsibilities: work with Education and Visitor Services Units to revise orientation and processes and create/revise method for education program scheduling.
  
  

Museum Collections Interns
The Collections staff needs interns to: physically document all objects in its collection; update its collection database; track objects on exhibit, at field sites and in storage; and do inventory and object care in preparation for moving all the objects from their current storage facility to a new one. In addition to "behind the scenes" work experience, interns will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of overall museum operations by assisting in the delivery of education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce interns to a broad spectrum of museum work.

• Intern's Primary responsibilities: research, catalog, photograph, number and store information into an ARGUS database; and/or help with inventory and object care.
  
• Intern's Secondary responsibilities: conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and/or conduct surveys, assess and evaluate museum programs.
  
  

Museum Costumed Interpreter Interns
The Museum staff needs actors and musicians to develop historical characters in galleries in a museum setting and costume designers to develop and sew and/or design historical costumes. Interns will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of overall museum operations by assisting in the delivery of education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce interns to a broad spectrum of museum work.

• Primary responsibilities: identify characters they wish to research; Conduct historical research; develop, design and sew costumes; and give first-person costumed interpretation presentation to museum visitors.
  
• Secondary responsibilities: plan, develop and conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and/or conduct surveys, assess and evaluate museum programs.
  
  

Museum Exhibit Interns
The Exhibits staff needs interns to research special topics in Michigan history and work with staff to develop and design new exhibits and/or improve current exhibits at our flagship museum in Lansing or some of our other museum sites around the state. In addition to "behind the scenes" work experience, interns will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of overall museum operations by assisting in the delivery of education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce interns to a broad spectrum of museum work.

Intern's Primary responsibilities at one of the following sites:

• Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing: install display on bicycle transportation at end of 1800s; and/or develop temporary, changing exhibits;
  
• Walker Tavern Historic Site, Brooklyn: create labels and/or storyline on Highway 12, Irish Hills Tourism, the development of transportation; and/or develop hands-on activities based on transportation and tourism.
  
• Fayette Historic Townsite: help staff develop exhibits and interpretation of Superintendent's dining room; Research the role of archeology at this site.
  
• Tawas Point Lighthouse, East Tawas: help staff develop new exhibits and interpretation: develop exhibit labels, design panels and install exhibits.
  
• Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee: help staff develop an interactive game on immigrants coming to the mining region in the Upper Peninsula.
  
• Mann House, Concord: expand interpretation to cover whole timeline of Mann sisters, expand exhibits in rooms to deal with different periods of their lives and develop gardens.
  
• Hartwick Pines, Grayling: help staff revise exhibits and develop new ones.
  
• Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, Roscommon: help staff revise exhibits and develop new ones.
  

Intern's Secondary responsibilities: conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and/or conduct surveys, assess and evaluate museum programs.

Museum Research Interns
The Collections staff needs interns to research special topics in Michigan history that will lay the foundation for new exhibits and/or improve current exhibits at our flagship museum in Lansing or at some of our other museum sites around the state. In addition to "behind the scenes" work experience, interns will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of overall museum operations by assisting in the delivery of education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce interns to a broad spectrum of museum work.

Intern's Primary responsibilities at one of the following sites:

• The Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing
  
  • Michigan at home during the Civil War
    
  • The Underground Railroad in Michigan
    
  • Michigan mining in the 19th Century
    
  • Hudson's Department Store Window in the 1920s
    
  • Roadside Attractions and/or
    
  • Michigan Votes
    
• Walker Tavern Historic Site, Brooklyn: History of Highway 12 and transportation improvements
  
  
• Fayette Historic Townsite, Garden: Superintendent's House and the Role of Archaeology
  
  
• Michigan Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee: issues related to Michigan's Mining and Iron Industry
  
  
• Hartwick Pines Logging Museum, Grayling: issues related to Michigan's logging industry
  

Intern's Secondary responsibilities: conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and/or conduct surveys, assess and evaluate museum programs.

Museum Foreign Language Translators Interns
Interns are needed to develop foreign language, interpretive materials into several languages for non-English speaking visitors: Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and German. Projects will include development of Welcoming brochures, self-guided tour materials and educational materials that can also be put on our website. In addition to "behind the scenes" work experience, interns will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of overall museum operations by assisting in the delivery of education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce interns to a broad spectrum of museum work.

Intern's Primary responsibilities: translate visitor guides, educational materials and exhibit labels into foreign languages for print and audio media. Foreign language interns will also be scheduled as interpreters for pre-scheduled foreign tour groups.

Intern's Secondary responsibilities: conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and/or conduct surveys, assess and evaluate museum programs.

Museum Tourism Marketing Interns
The Community Relations staff needs interns to develop and implement marking plans, expand e-mail marketing program, conduct visitor surveys, and re-invigorate the museum's group travel efforts. In addition to these projects, interns will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of overall museum operations by assisting staff to deliver education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce interns to a broad spectrum of museum work.

Intern's Primary responsibilities: develop tourism/marketing activities.

Intern's Secondary responsibilities: conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and/or assist with the museum's visitors services unit.

Museum Interns (ADA Services) to develop adaptive educational materials for blind and visually impaired.
The Education staff needs interns to develop adaptive educational materials for blind and visually impaired visitors. In addition to "behind the scenes" work experience, interns will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of overall museum operations by assisting staff to deliver education and public programs. Museum seminars will also introduce interns to a broad spectrum of museum work.

Intern's Primary responsibilities: develop adaptive educational materials for blind and visually impaired visitors.

Intern's Secondary responsibilities: plan, develop and conduct tours and education and public programs through costumed interpretation, hands-on activities and heritage crafts demonstrations for school groups, scout programs, adult groups, and other visitors during the week and/or on weekends including setup and cleanup; and/or Conduct surveys, assess and evaluate museum programs.