Interested in an internship . . . contact Museum Director Gary Parks, phone (570) 326-3326 or email to gparks@tabermuseum.org
A few stories from our interns:
- Ali, a Lycoming College history major, produced several exhibits for the Museum and City Hall, and indexed historic lumbering records.
- Former intern, Maggie, has completed her Master's degree - she has worked at Mt. Vernon & is applying to work other major historical sites.
- Williamsport High senior, Tiarnan, spent the summer of 2017 working with Curator Sagar with Museum artifacts.
- Alicia, a Lycoming College intern, was chosen as volunteer of the year 2017 for her extraordinary work with the collection, assisting with events, and for undertaking research projects.
- Former intern, Josh, has been accepted to the M.A. program at Rutgers in Political Science with a concentration in global politics.
- Andrea, who processed several manuscript collections and worked on the Museum website, is now a high school teacher and is working on a PhD.
- Allyson is now a museum Assistant at the Luzerne County Historical Society.
The Lycoming County Historical Society and its Thomas T. Taber Museum offer an infinite number of volunteer & internship opportunities in museum & archival studies. The objective is to expose a student to the inner workings of a museum/historical agency through a hands-on experience.
During the course of the internship experience, the student will work closely with the Curator of Collections and the Museum Director, as well as support staff, in gaining an appreciation for work within the collections of the Museum. The intern's experience may include:
- Selection of objects for an exhibit - this will include proper documentation of the objects for production of labels, catalogue or informational sheets, This work may include research via the Internet, reference books, or donor interviews. Work may also include supervised preparation of objects for exhibit.
- Processing of a small manuscript collection which would include sorting, organizing, documenting, research, donor interviews, etc. The desired end product is a manuscript register, thus giving LCHS intellectual control over the collection. Possibly the production of a scholarly and well-written article for inclusion in the Museum's newsletter and/or journal.
- Work with photographic collection- housing/rehousing photographic materials in acid free enclosures, proper labeling, entering data into PastPerfect cataloguing system.
- Work with three-dimensional objects - may include measuring and describing an item, housing the object within appropriate acid-free materials, entering data into PastPerfect cataloguing system.
- Writing press release/flyer/newsletter material for distribution to area newspapers, radio & television stations, websites, and magazines.
- Producing material for the Museum's website, or entering data to update the online shop or online databases.
- Participating in special activities such as coffee hour lectures/society programs by greeting people, possibly introducing the speaker, making sure the speaker's needs are met (screen, projector, podium, etc.) and set-up.
- Helping with our children's History Day Camp - by assisting a project leader, preparing for activities and the like.
- Working with the Museum Store manager in pricing merchandise, inventory, and staffing the Museum Store area. As well, the museum store area is the reception area for the museum- greeting people, answering the telephone, and keeping statistics might be a part of the duties.
If you have an interest in history, or desire to experience volunteering or interning in an accredited and active museum, contact Museum Director Gary Parks to discuss internship opportunities. You will have a great experience in an active and vibrant Museum - learning and while helping to preserve local history.