Padnos Museum Internship
at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
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The highly rewarding and fiercely competitive field of museum work requires more than classroom study for entry. Increasingly, employers demand a certain level of practical experience to accompany a degree in the humanities. The Padnos Museum Internship Program at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum provides the necessary skills students need to attain a certain level of marketability in the field. For its nearly twenty years in operation, the program has provided lasting experiences for students from around the country. Interns gain experience by working directly with historic artifacts through a variety of collections and exhibit projects. The core of the program focuses on collections management, where digitization (through photography and data-entry) has become one of the primary objectives. Interns still spend much of their time on traditional and essential museum activities, including cataloging, inventorying, condition-reporting, re-housing, and reorganizing projects. The frequent rotation of temporary and traveling exhibits provide interns with experience dealing with artifact mounts, lighting, case arrangement, packing, and unpacking artifact loans. |
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| Museum interns must complete 240 hours of work over a 12 to 14 week period (or roughly, a school semester). The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation provides a stipend of $1,000 upon completion of the internship. We are happy to work with university departments to help students fulfill academic requirements for the opportunity. Although we encourage students to pursue course credit for the experience, it is not required. We can also work with graduate students to meet their specific academic needs. | ||
• Previous museum experience is not required. |
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Summer Internship: Fall Internship: Winter Internship: |
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If this opportunity interests you, please send a cover letter and copy of your resume (including cumulative GPA) to:
James W. Draper
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Students from all over the U.S. have completed internships at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum:
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