irgillen

When I began my Internship the only thing I knew for certain was that I would have to work 120 hours. The work itself combined with my day to day life was a bigger mystery to me than the pyramids.

What I found out, almost immediately, was that not only was this work enjoyable, but it was infectious. If a certain job I had been given took more than one day to complete, I would immediately ask to come in on my day off in order to finish it. Usually I would be fine with a day off, but there was something about the museum work that drove me.

Quickly it became clear that this would be a summer of fun, hard work, learning, and having fun while learning at work. I learned about soft-packing, accessioning, archives, artifact storage, past perfect, and many other practical things for museum work, but the most important thing I learned was that I could love working in a museum. Fulfilling Roanoke College’s requirement was good, but that is not why I went to work every day. I went to work because I loved it. This is what I learned. Any class can teach you about courtesy tabs, how to make your own box, and cold storage; but the passion for the work I found could only be sparked by diving into the work, a caring curator, and a natural love for a work I have become passionate about.
When I began my Internship the only thing I knew for certain was that I would have to work 120 hours, now I know so much more.

Work in the archives is something I had already had a taste of before this internship. My Historical Methods paper was based almost entirely of off work done in the school’s archives. This was work I remember enjoying much more than any other typical mode of research.

I had not given this a second thought until I began work in the museum’s archives. The work in this lonely room does not appear as exciting, but I immediately took a liking to it. Work in the archives can include some items that you may know very little about, but it can involve items that you know very well. Because of this I learned more from the newspapers, photographs, and maps I handled than I ever would have thought. This constant stream of new information from the archives is another reason I preferred working there. Working in an organization’s archives is now something that I know I’d like to do, and it is something that brings me more joy than I once would have thought.

Due to the fact that I am not from the area (or from Virginia at all) the history of Roanoke never interested me until I began to handle the artifacts that make up this local history. During the process of moving the museums’s collections and the following sorting, I handled hundreds of artifacts that have deepened my appreciation for the area. Seeing the plans for Hotel Roanoke, reading over events that were held during wartime, and holding the pictures of those who made Roanoke what it is has been a special experience, and one that makes me happier to live here.

The museum’s move has also shown me the importance of remaining flexible. In this line of work one cannot become entrenched in the task one completes. Throughout the day so many changes and surprises happen that in order to do a job well done, you must remain pliable and loose. On any average day any out of the ordinary task may be asked of you, and you must have the mindset to drop a certain task in order to complete this newer, potentially more important task.

The Museum’s collections is being forced to switch locations. As a result, the last few weeks of work have consisted of soft packing pictures, carefully packing textiles, and hand-making boxes for specific artifacts. While this appears like it is less exciting work that falls more into manual labor, the repeated work has actually been very exciting. This is due to the fact that I have seen almost every artifact in the museum, and have been able to handle several swords, World War I and World War II era clothing, and local photographs that all captured my interest immensely.

This continues the theme that has been running through my head all summer. This work may not seem glamorous to learn about, describe to family members, or to write a blog post about; but when this work is being done, and the hands-on aspect of the work takes over, the history comes to life (even on a Monday). I have been able to handle rifles, jackets, swords, helmets, pants, and patches from the areas of war that interest me the most. In that moment there is a special connection between myself, and the man or woman who trained, fought, lived, loved, cried, and wrote home while wearing that very same jacket. I hold these artifacts with great care and respect for a man or woman whom I have never met. I hold these pieces of clothing and wonder what they may have seen. The horrors,good times, and adventures they have encountered before they were boxed up contain a life time of lessons that I get to encounter, look into, and take care of, before I pick up the next artifact, and take off on another adventure. That connection is what has made this Internship so fun, and so special.

My first week working in the museum I spent unpacking and condition reporting a shipment of Lewis Hine’s photographs. I then moved into working in the program Past Perfect. These two activities provided early interest in the material, and an early interest in museum work. The hands-on nature of the work I have been doing is what I have always wanted from a job rooted in history.

Seeing the Hine exhibit transform from pictures in a box to a true museum exhibit was a very rewarding experience, as I was able to see the results of my work first hand. Being able to see the reactions of the museum visitors to the photographs I helped process, hang, and make available was also a very positive and rewarding experience. This work has been very fun, and I am very excited to continue my internship and look in to a career in the field.