Developing your Interns as Stakeholders

            Stake can take on a number of definitions.  From vampires to surveillance this is a word that can mean so many different things.  In this case I would like to highlight the definition of stake as “an interest or share in an undertaking or enterprise.” (Merriam-Webster.)  In some cases stakeholders are considered those with financial interest.  However, I think it is a mistake to consider this the core importance of a stakeholder.

            I was surprised to hear that interns are not considered to have stake in the departments that they are working for.  To me, I develop a loyalty and a large interest in whatever project I am working on.  It had never crossed my mind that other interns might not have a stake in the places they were working.  Then it occurred to me- do my bosses think that I do not have some kind of interest and commitment to the project I have been assigned?  Is there some kind of large miscommunication or are there actually people who do not acquire some kind of stake in their work?  

            A stakeholder is a vehicle for the project.  Not only is it getting the word on the street about the project or the organization, but it is a great source of work for a project.  Without interns that hold stake in the project you are not getting the most out of your intern and your intern is not getting enough out of your program.  If there are really interns who do not develop a stake in their internship then it is up to the intern coordinator to see this before the intern is put in the position.  If there is something lost in communication between interns and the people they are working for then this is something that needs to be addressed. 

            Personally, I put my heart and soul into the projects I work on.  I allow the project and the organization to become part of me and allow myself to become part of the project.  If that is not considered having stake in something then I am not quite sure what stake actually means.  While I may not be able to throw money at a project, I- as all interns- am valuable assets for organizations.  This is especially seen in the fact that internships are often unpaid.  This ends up being a loss of money for interns since they still have to pay living costs and transportation costs.  In a way, interns are financial stakeholders as well.  As the old clique says- time is money.  
            Perhaps, when choosing interns it is not only their experience and what school they go to that should be the deeming factors, but their excitement and interest in becoming a part of what they applied to.  While cover letters may seem to be a way to find this trait, interviews of any kind really allow the excitement to surface. 

Falling Back in Time to the Beat Generation

            This week one of the most interesting things I happened upon was in a folder dedicated to “The Fugs.”  This band, most recently, has been used by the Coen Brothers in their films.  The band is from the 60s and can be easily placed into the beat generation.  This band was also one of the very few who had their recording pulled from the Folkways catalog. 

            One of the documents that really teleported me back to the beat generation was an arts magazine that the band created.  The introduction and the name of the magazine was one of the most interesting parts about “The Fugs.”  They expressed their points of view on the government and politics so clearly that it offered a very blunt insight to a different side of the human experience that other forms of folk music I had seen before.  The underlying theme in quite a lot of the folk music I read the lyrics and liner notes to seemed to be equality and fighting the power that stopped that equality.  

The Fugs were the epitome of these feelings and they made no attempt at hiding their feelings.  This expression of culture and expression of freedom of speech is something that is a fantastic find in historical collections.  Ideas that go against the grain of popular opinion are what create the basis of different cultures.  However, allowing every culture to be recognized as its entity is sometimes hard for people to accept.  If people do not think the same way as everyone else- for better or for worse- they are often pushed to the back and forgotten.  It is the job of historians to try and make sure that all cultures are exhibited in a well-rounded sense. 

The question arises, in cases such as The Fugs, what is appropriate to showcase under the name of the Smithsonian?  How do you know where to draw the line?  What do you do with objects that are deemed inappropriate for your viewership?  There are plenty of sculptures on display that show naked bodies- I often wonder if there would be a profit in making a shirt that said “I saw my first naked body at the National Gallery.”  Is the difference between these sculptures and these documents the matter of opinion driving the objects? 

Developing Assets Before Internships

       It really isn’t until you start your internship that you really find out how qualified you are for it.  When I started my internship with the Smithsonian I was worried that there were things that I did not know that would make the internship difficult to adjust to.  However, I found that you cannot remember everything you learn or see what is truly applicable until you are working on your internship. 

            All of the things I have learned about museums, digital history, and librarianship that were once stored inside of me waiting for library school and my career to start flourish when I am put into situations such as internships.  Before I started my internship with the Smithsonian I had had no hands on training in archives.  I was slightly terrified that there would be a steep learning curve.  The first day or two was overwhelming.  Not only was I learning archival practices, but I was learning how to use software and devices that I had never seen before.  While I had used a scanner before, it was nothing that could produce the high quality of scans that the Archives scanner could. 

            I found that all of the videos and lectures about archives were ingrained in me and I could use them to help me understand the massive amounts of things I learned at the Smithsonian.  Accession numbers were not nearly as terrifying as I once thought they were.  The organizational system, which is quite different than what I have been exposed to during my time working in libraries, was manageable.  It even made more sense in context then it ever could out of a textbook.  It is important to realize that learning only begins in the classroom; it does not end in the classroom.  One cannot fully understand what they are taking notes on and being tested on without firsthand experience.  However, without these firsthand experiences I would have never been able to take away as much as I did from the internship.

            I also learned, while shopping for a new printer for myself, that all scanners do not have a removable top that can be removed to scan negatives.  It was hard to explain to the sales associates at Target what I was doing to their display printers, but it was at that moment I realized that I had learned and grown because of my internship.  I am no longer willing to accept a printer as just a printer- I look for the technology that has so quickly affected the digitization movement.  I am sure, as I move on to other internships, I will start looking for Adobe Bridge and assessing the metadata standards that are used. 

Moses on Writing

            Now that I have finished my second box of digitizing I feel like I have the hang of things and am indeed- as one of the other interns said- becoming a robot.  I am at over two thousand digitized items and nearing halfway through the first step of my third box.  As my internship starts winding down, I become more and more intent on finishing as much as possible before I leave to graduate back in Florida.  The idea that I have digitized and found the metadata for so many letters alone isn’t the main source of work I have encountered.  It is reading all of those letters and picking out what is important in them, as I may have mentioned before.  Finding gems are one of the best parts of the job especially when I can relate to them.  That’s one of the best parts about digitizing.  You can find things to relate to that you never knew existed.  

Property of the Ralph Rinzler Archives, Smithsonian

               This is one of the letters that caught my attention.  In a letter to Nancy Brown, Moses Asch shows a very human side of himself that is ordinarily difficult to find.  Asch was so driven towards his goal that oftentimes that is all that could be seen in his letters and his work.  Like I talked about in my last post, sometimes people forgot that he was a human who had human problems and emotions.  (Maybe they thought he was a robot, too!)  

               The discussion about writer’s block and the “creative artist” was something I had never seen Asch talk about before.  It was almost sentimental and he was exhibiting a lot of personality.  In a way it was a pep talk.  This was a wonderful change from the other letters where he had to defend the contracts his artists had signed.    He was supportive of Nancy Brown and her creativity, even if it meant delving away from the children’s music that was so popular in the 70s.  

               Though I must warn, what is digitized is not always all that is there.  There is more out there than what the internet can show you.  Never stop looking just because you think the internet and digital mediums are good enough.  Digital resources should NEVER replace physical contact and the desire that curiosity produces.