The Secret Lives of Interns: Week 5

Week Five brought the introduction of Heather, our last (but certainly not least!) summer intern. Heather is working in the education department and helping out with exhibitions as well!

I assisted with inventory of the gift shop on Monday, led 2 groups of first and second graders through the Voices of Lombard St tour with Simone for SuperKids camp on Tuesday, and thoroughly enjoyed the Intern Field Trip on Wednesday. I also started reviewing info on the LSS to assist with planning interactives for the new exhibit and jotting down several ideas to bounce off of Jenn, Anita and Deb W. A great first week here - makes me excited for the next 9! – Heather

Whew! That's a LOT of interns!

When noon rolled around Jobi Zink, official intern wrangler (and Senior Collections Manager) escorted the interns to Little Italy for lunch at one of the JMM’s favorite restaurants: Amicci’s!

Out to lunch!

After lunch all the interns headed up to the nearby Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. Interns started out in the gift shop before being escorted into the conservation lab.

Alison and Sean are especially excited by the fume tube.

Then they got a sneak peek into the Lewis’ storage rooms, checking out the automatic compact shelving (moves with just one touch of a button!), artwork cages and getting a chance to see a few objects up close and personal.

Checking out the art storage.

This French military uniform holds everyone's attention.

After the back scenes tour the interns took a turn through the Lewis’ current exhibition East Side Stories and watched a video created by the History Channel, featured in the lobby of the museum.

Interns in the Lewis's East Side Stories exhibition

The field trip concluded at the Star Spangled Banner Flag House, right next door to the Lewis. The interns were introduced to the variety of American flags on display, cataloging the 28 changes the flag has gone through. They learned all about the history of the Flag House, the Star Spangled Banner and our National Anthem. Apparently the Children’s Activity Room was a big hit!

The interns (and Jobi!) try on a few 19th century looks.

The intern field trip this week made me realize how much better the JMM is than other institutions but also opened my eyes to what could be expanded here. When we went to the Flag house museum they very impersonal, they just plopped us down in front of a video and allowed us to wander through the museum after that. I'd much preferred a guide, even in a place as small as that, just in case I'd have questions. The building also was not very secure, granted there were signs saying "do not enter" but it was unlocked and easily accessible to whomever wanted to go in. On the brighter side, in comparison, the JMM has a solid secure building and the volunteers and staff are very personable, so it made me appreciate where I work a lot more. But, I also noticed what changes could be made here at the JMM after seeing the Lewis Museum facility. They had a conservation lab, all to itself, and that was really exciting to see, granted with the right funding that'd be a possibility but it's something we don’t have here. Also noticed how secure their building was with monitors in each room on the ceilings as well as card access to doors in collections storage and back rooms. Every artifact had enough space to breathe and some. It was very detailed. The JMM is very precise as well, we just don’t have the space and some artifacts don’t get much wiggle room, which is probably another case of money. But over all it was a good learning experience and I enjoyed the content of the trip. - Sean

From a New York perspective, it felt great to be able to walk to these museums in one day. As we all know, Baltimore is not exactly walking friendly. The museums were small; however they had just enough to grasp their essence. These museums are all really there to recognize and appreciate what past and present citizens of Maryland have contributed to their communities. Kudos to all museum staff, and anyone who has contributed to a museum in Maryland. They have worked hard to recognize individuals who would have been forgotten and erased from history. – Giselle

It's a right gaggle of interns!

Seeing all the good stuff in the basement of the JMM including the permanent wave machine (that must be what you guys use on your "problem interns"), lunch at Amicci's, information overload at the Lewis, and revisiting my inner child while coloring at the Flag House Museum were among the highlights [of my first week]. - Heather

But it’s not all fun, games and field trips!

Last week, I spent a lot of time making outreach calls to local Jewish organizations. Realizing that the information provided was outdated and incomplete, I began compiling a recent comprehensive list of Jewish organizations and their important contacts including addresses, phone numbers and e-mails. I also finalized logo and food information regarding the companies which are to provide for the "Brews and Schmooze" event. – Rebecca

Last week was again filled with a hodgepodge of activities and tasks. I am STILL working on transcribing Seymour Attman's oral history. It's taking a long time partly because I only work on it in between other tasks, and partly because transcribing is just a lot harder than I thought it would be! Though now I have Shelby, the other curatorial intern, to commiserate with, so that's nice. When we weren't wearing out the stop and rewind buttons on the cassette players, Shelby and I researched the history of food packaging so we could find props for a section of the Chosen Food exhibit. I can now tell someone the history of the tin can! Unfortunately, we also found that there just isn't a whole lot of difference between food packaging in, say, the 1830's in the U.S. and in 1870's in Russia, so I'm not sure just how useful our research will be in the long run. At the very least, I've been beefing up my store of random trivia! – Abby

Crazily enough, for many of our interns this week marked the halfway point! A few of them took the time to reflect on the weeks passed:

My past couple of weeks at the JMM have been extremely interesting and eye opening. The staff has been wonderful in training us in the proper techniques and usage of different materials. Every week is new and exciting. This particular week we have been working over at the BHU sifting through old archives and really getting a taste for what museum collections is about. I have learned a great deal about museum management and the level of time and effort it takes to store, and inventory a collection. There is so much work that goes into one exhibit, and I have gained a new admiration and respect for the time, energy, artistry, and thought it takes when one views an exhibit. History is such an important part of who everyone is, it helps individuals learn, grow, and evolve into better human beings, which is why Museums are such a necessary part of society. Every time I find a new or interesting article, picture, or object while doing inventory it always makes me think. The JMM has opened my eyes to so many things. I hold a lot of admiration for each individual staff member and thank them for keeping things fun and lively. They have each taught me something different, and I know I will be able to take something great away from the JMM. - Berkley

It seems crazy to be half way finished with the internship. It's funny how quickly you become comfortable in a new environment - I feel like it’s been longer than a few weeks. In these first five weeks, I feel like I've learned a lot about the JMM and about the variety of tasks that go on during the day. So far, I've gotten the chance to do inventory, begin processing a collection and work on its finding aid, learn the ins and outs of the wonderful program that is PastPerfect and take some very fun field trips - my favorite probably being to the Lewis and seeing their awesome conservation lab and collections storage. - Alison

The Secret Lives of Interns: Spotlight on Archives

So...lately I've been working on processing and creating a finding aid for a collection, specifically the Brandeis University National Women's Committee - Baltimore Chapter. One of my tasks, to familiarize myself with the collection, is to read the 8-9 scrapbooks kept by the committee to document every newspaper and every event the committee ever was a part of.

“Founded in 1948, the same year as Brandeis University, the National Committee provides financial support for Brandeis and its Libraries. The National Committee is the largest friends-of-a-library group in the world with 30,000 members nationwide. A volunteer fundraising organization, BNC has contributed over $117 million to Brandeis University, while utilizing the resources of the university to provide unique education programs for its members.” (http://www.brandeis.edu/bnc/about/facts.html) Check out this great article highlighting the BNC: http://www.brandeis.edu/magazine/0803/pdf/bunwc.pdf !

The Baltimore Chapter was set up in 1950, two years after the BUNWC was begun, and it is still active today (they have a website: http://www.bncbaltimore.com/)!

The Baltimore Chapter really did a lot of good things for BU. On June 17th, 1951, Brandeis built an athletic field dedicated to Abraham Marcus, a Baltimore business man and philanthropist. Furthermore, in 1955, the Baltimore Chapter established the Richard Marcus Memorial Fund, in honor of the same family.

The Baltimore Chapter was also the first to start a study group, to promote higher education and further learning among its members. This study group later inspired The Brandeis Study Group, a national series, which began in 1959.

Some of the interesting things I've come across thus far:


In 1954, Eleanor Roosevelt (aka the widow of a pretty famous president) spoke at the fourth annual meeting of the Baltimore Chapter. Who wouldn't like a little one-on-one time with that lady?




In 1955, Brandeis University built three chapels on their campus, to accommodate ALL students, even though BU is a predominantly Jewish crowd. The three chapels were Catholic, Protestant and Jewish. I found this idea really progressive, especially in the 1950s. The university got a lot of criticism from the community because of their decision to build these chapels, from what I read in the news articles. However, they stood by their decision and really embraced the idea that all should be welcome at an academic institution, no matter what your faith. I even read in an article that if we believe that we all come from "One Father", why shouldn't BU embrace and make all religions feel welcome? Awesome idea and kudos to Brandeis for being so progressive. (photos by Mike Lovett/Brandeis University)



Lastly, although this has nothing to do with the National Women's Committee, I came across an article today that a Brandeis University professor in 1963 crystallized a cancer virus and determined its chemical components - the FIRST to do so! I believe the professor's name was Dr. William T. Murakami...kudos to him as well!

The Secret Lives of Interns: Week 4

Week four kept our interns as busy as always. Collections interns are still up to their eyebrows doing inventory – at week’s close we had completed 57.7% of the 3D objects! Stephanie, Alison’s girlfriend, came in and lent a hand for a day. She also spent some time numbering photographs, completing nearly an ENTIRE box in a single afternoon!

Wow, that’s a LOT of photos! Go Stephanie!

WHEW! What a week?! Collections Inventory is the excitement that bustles around these parts...still. And boy is it fun! I am very excited and proud of myself this week after hearing about my achievement of doing 51.2% of the 50% of all the 3D objects! I think the word is awesome, but I have also learned that collections isn’t about achievements and victories but being thorough and patient. I feel like I've made a solid system for myself and it is working, if I hadn't then I might not be as jubilant about it. Also, the great pencil war has begun! And my pencil is dwindling to the win! I can't believe the weeks are flying by, what an exciting time to be an intern, seriously. - Sean

(Sean thinks he’s got this pencil competition in the bag, but with a little outside assistance from our volunteer Debbie, the staff is going strong, so he and the rest of the interns better watch their backs! Or better yet, their pencil points…)

Thanks Debbie!

Outside of inventory, collections interns continued to work on their own projects. Watch out for a special blog post from Alison, our archives intern! Kim has continued to scope out library acquisitions policies and Berkley had some excitement across the street!

I spent some time at the Lloyd Street Synagoge taking pictures of different areas of renovation. To everyone's surprise there were bones unearthed in one of the areas of excavation at a very shallow service of the construction process. - Berkley

We all (staff and interns alike!) got to spend some quality time helping out Development with a mailing. Nothing like folding and stuffing envelopes to bring out some wacky conversations! We passed the time telling each other some of our favorite jokes. Mine? Well, since you insist – What’s brown and sticky?

A STICK!

Interns outside of collections were just as busy:

I had a great week at the Jewish Museum and in Baltimore! Aside from working on the Grants calendar project and helping with over 700 mailings during her days at the Museum, I mourned the death of Michael Jackson along with the rest of the world. I also went mini-golfing(!). - Ilana

I spent my time finalizing details for our "Brews and Schmooze" party with JT Waldman. I made sure we are getting falafel, Cold Stone ice cream, and kosher beer. I also helped Simone write a short calendar release for the event. In addition, I spent some time researching "baby boomer" generation movies, music, and television shows that could be adapted to be "Jewish" in the hopes of having special events for JMM's 50th with baby boomer generation entertainment. – Rebecca

I have been working on a project to turn the Leo Burger Immigrant's Trunk into lesson plans and activities suitable for young children. It has been enjoyable thinking of games and materials that can be used for early childhood education. The other day I came up with the idea to make a board game, Golden Land (based on Candy Land). – Amanda

Can you see what I see?

Last week Friday, a total of 60 lovely 6 and 7 year olds from Shiloh Camp went on a scavenger hunt in B'nai Israel Synagogue. They were given a list of eight words and a couple of minutes to find objects within the synagogue. They swished through the pews like detectives determined to find what they thought were hidden objects. Although I had a great time watching them help one another with the scavenger hunt, it was most rewarding to know many had walked off from such an eventful day with a new vocabulary word. The scavenger hunt transformed into an educational achievement. As the education staff and interns waved goodbye to the kids from Shiloh Smart Camp, many ran up to say they had "the best time of their lives." - Giselle

(A hint to those who may want to go on their own B'nai Israel scanvenger hunt, the Star of David pictured above is located on top of the Israeli Flag!)