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Internships that go the Internships that go the distance: distance: A how-to-do-it A how-to-do-it (and how-not-to-do- (and how-not-to-do- it) it) guide guide to online internships to online internships Rebecca Goldman Rebecca Goldman Connelly Library, La Salle Connelly Library, La Salle University University (formerly of the Drexel University (formerly of the Drexel University Archives) Archives) October 22, 2011 October 22, 2011 Photo credit: Sideonecincy http://www.flickr.com/photos/sideonecincy/5882191626

Online internships

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Internships that go the distance: A how-to-do-it (and how-not-to-do-it) guide to online internships. Presented at the Fall 2011 MARAC meeting in Bethlehem, PA.

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Page 1: Online internships

Internships that go the Internships that go the distance:distance:

A how-to-do-it A how-to-do-it (and how-not-to-do-(and how-not-to-do-it)it) guide guide

to online internshipsto online internships

Rebecca GoldmanRebecca Goldman

Connelly Library, La Salle UniversityConnelly Library, La Salle University(formerly of the Drexel University Archives)(formerly of the Drexel University Archives)

October 22, 2011October 22, 2011Photo credit: Sideonecincy http://www.flickr.com/photos/sideonecincy/5882191626

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Let’s get some things Let’s get some things straight…straight…

“Angry cat” by CiCCio.it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciccioit/221427543

INTERNSHIPS

UR DOIN IT WRONG

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Internships are NOT free Internships are NOT free laborlabor

Good internships require an initial time Good internships require an initial time investment for planning and an ongoing investment for planning and an ongoing time commitment from internship time commitment from internship supervisors for training and guidancesupervisors for training and guidance

Don’t expect your interns to do the Don’t expect your interns to do the work of professional archivists work of professional archivists

If you want someone who’s done it If you want someone who’s done it before,before,

hire a professionalhire a professional

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Student + archives = Student + archives = internship? internship?

Just because a grad student is doing the Just because a grad student is doing the work, work,

Just because the work is happening in Just because the work is happening in an archives,an archives,

Just because your archives really needs Just because your archives really needs that work done,that work done,

……doesn’t make it an internship. doesn’t make it an internship.

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Student + archives + Student + archives + learninglearning = internship! = internship!

Interns should be able to Interns should be able to demonstrate by the end of the demonstrate by the end of the internship that they have learned internship that they have learned new skills or improved existing skillsnew skills or improved existing skills

Ideally, an internship culminates Ideally, an internship culminates with a tangible end product, like a with a tangible end product, like a finding aid, an exhibit, or a reportfinding aid, an exhibit, or a report

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Internships are about more Internships are about more than official responsibilitiesthan official responsibilities Interns should feel like valued Interns should feel like valued

members of your staffmembers of your staff Interns should get a sense of what Interns should get a sense of what

life is like for archivistslife is like for archivists Sometimes internships make Sometimes internships make

students realize they don’t want to students realize they don’t want to be archivists anymore—and that’s be archivists anymore—and that’s okay!okay!

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Interns are like puppiesInterns are like puppies

Photo credits: @craudma, @jenlrile, and @reality4check

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Incorporating all of these Incorporating all of these things into an online things into an online internship is HARDinternship is HARD

How do you provide a realistic work How do you provide a realistic work experience in an online environment?experience in an online environment?

How do you keep track of your intern’s How do you keep track of your intern’s progress and check in with them if you progress and check in with them if you don’t work the same hours? don’t work the same hours?

How do you socialize your interns and How do you socialize your interns and show them what it’s like to be an archivist show them what it’s like to be an archivist if they’re never around other archivists?if they’re never around other archivists?

If your repository can’t handle an on-site If your repository can’t handle an on-site intern, you definitely aren’t ready for a intern, you definitely aren’t ready for a remote internremote intern

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But…online internships But…online internships have some pretty sweet have some pretty sweet

advantagesadvantages Students who don’t live near Students who don’t live near

archives can get experiencearchives can get experience Students who work during the day Students who work during the day

can get experiencecan get experience Digital projects are great for sharing Digital projects are great for sharing

with prospective employerswith prospective employers Some archives tasks work just as Some archives tasks work just as

well online well online

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An experimentAn experiment

“Breaking Out of the Facility” by Shuttermoth http://www.flickr.com/photos/shuttermoth/100644472

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Our subjectOur subject

Screenshot by Megan Atkinson, with a guest appearance by Grrr!.

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Internship componentsInternship components

Develop a metadata policy for Develop a metadata policy for archived websites and create archived websites and create metadata for some of those sitesmetadata for some of those sites

Provide metadata for a collection of Provide metadata for a collection of digitized photographsdigitized photographs

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Archive-ItArchive-It

Subscription service from the Subscription service from the Internet Archive for archiving Internet Archive for archiving websiteswebsites

Decide which sites you want Decide which sites you want captured, when to capture them, and captured, when to capture them, and how you want to describe themhow you want to describe them

Totally web-basedTotally web-based

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Describing websites in Describing websites in Archive-ItArchive-It

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Does Archive-It work well Does Archive-It work well for an online internship?for an online internship?

Yes! It’sYes! It’s Naturalistic: the same work an intern Naturalistic: the same work an intern

would do if she were on sitewould do if she were on site Flexible: the intern can create metadata Flexible: the intern can create metadata

anytime, and the archivist can review it anytime, and the archivist can review it anytimeanytime

Shareable: the intern can share links to Shareable: the intern can share links to archived websites with metadata that archived websites with metadata that she createdshe created

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Our “digital asset Our “digital asset management system”management system”

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Don’t try this at homeDon’t try this at home

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Metadata for digital images Metadata for digital images could could be a good internship be a good internship

if…if… You have a web-based system for You have a web-based system for

storing images and creating storing images and creating metadata, and you already know metadata, and you already know how to use ithow to use it

The images don’t require inside The images don’t require inside knowledge of your institution knowledge of your institution

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How Dickinson State’s How Dickinson State’s Theodore Roosevelt Center Theodore Roosevelt Center

made it workmade it work Task: catalog documents in a digital library Task: catalog documents in a digital library

and write blog posts about the documentsand write blog posts about the documents The digital library isn’t live yet, but check out The digital library isn’t live yet, but check out

the blog posts from summer 2011 at the blog posts from summer 2011 at http://www.blogtrc.org http://www.blogtrc.org

Basecamp site with message boards, file Basecamp site with message boards, file sharing and “writeboards” for sharing sharing and “writeboards” for sharing controlled vocabulary termscontrolled vocabulary terms

Virtual “office hours” in SkypeVirtual “office hours” in Skype They pay their internsThey pay their interns

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Remote metadata creation Remote metadata creation that worksthat works

Images from Krystal Thomas, Theodore Roosevelt Center

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One internship, two One internship, two perspectivesperspectives

Happy intern Happy intern Unhappy intern Unhappy intern ““I would characterize this I would characterize this experience as being very experience as being very independently driven. This independently driven. This is something I am fine is something I am fine with…” with…”

““While I would have While I would have appreciated a more appreciated a more thorough orientation for my thorough orientation for my internship, I have not had internship, I have not had any major problems with any major problems with it.” it.”

““I am satisfied with the I am satisfied with the work I’m doing. I feel like I work I’m doing. I feel like I am contributing to am contributing to [Archives], and also gaining [Archives], and also gaining skills that are critical to my skills that are critical to my future archives career.” future archives career.”

““The instruction [Archivist] The instruction [Archivist] mentioned in an initial email mentioned in an initial email never came, and I was quite never came, and I was quite unclear what my internship unclear what my internship entails until recently.”entails until recently.”

““Common sense would dictate Common sense would dictate that you would give the interns that you would give the interns an overview of what they were an overview of what they were doing… I am always ‘on my own’ doing… I am always ‘on my own’ and feel like a slave.”and feel like a slave.”

““Overall this is the worst Overall this is the worst internship I have been a part of internship I have been a part of - I'm not sure if it even qualifies - I'm not sure if it even qualifies as an internship since…the only as an internship since…the only educational experience I am educational experience I am receiving is from my own self-receiving is from my own self-study.”study.”

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General advice for online General advice for online supervisorssupervisors

Be clear about goals and expectationsBe clear about goals and expectations Have multiple channels of Have multiple channels of

communicationcommunication Be familiar with your intern’s grad Be familiar with your intern’s grad

school programschool program Allow time for trainingAllow time for training Check in with your interns regularlyCheck in with your interns regularly Remember that interns are people tooRemember that interns are people too

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General advice for online General advice for online internsinterns

Make sure you have time!Make sure you have time! Make sure you manage your time wellMake sure you manage your time well Know your work habits and what you Know your work habits and what you

need to succeedneed to succeed Don’t be afraid to ask for thingsDon’t be afraid to ask for things You can’t get all the archives You can’t get all the archives

experience you need from online experience you need from online internshipsinternships

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Online interns are like Online interns are like digital puppiesdigital puppies

Photo credit: jdruschke http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilldruschke/2232374988

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Further readingFurther reading

““Online Archives Internship”: Megan’s Online Archives Internship”: Megan’s (heavily edited) article in (heavily edited) article in Archival Archival Outlook Outlook May/June 2011 May/June 2011

Archival Internships: A Guide for Faculty, Archival Internships: A Guide for Faculty, Supervisors, and Students Supervisors, and Students by Jeannette by Jeannette Bastian and Donna WebberBastian and Donna Webber

SJSU internship guide: SJSU internship guide: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/classes/294/ http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/classes/294/

libr294guide.htm libr294guide.htm

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Thank you!Thank you!

Megan Atkinson, for being an awesome Megan Atkinson, for being an awesome online internonline intern

Lori Lindberg of SJSU SLIS, for sharing Lori Lindberg of SJSU SLIS, for sharing internship advice and (anonymized!) internship advice and (anonymized!) internship reportsinternship reports

Krystal Thomas of the Theodore Krystal Thomas of the Theodore Roosevelt Center, who supervised 22(!) Roosevelt Center, who supervised 22(!) online interns this summer, for sharing online interns this summer, for sharing info and screenshots from the TRC’s info and screenshots from the TRC’s online internship projectonline internship project

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Contact meContact me

Rebecca GoldmanRebecca Goldman [email protected]@lasalle.edu 215-951-1965215-951-1965

This presentation is available from This presentation is available from http://www.slideshare.net/rebgold http://www.slideshare.net/rebgold

Photo: State Library and Archives of Florida http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridamemory/3251651362