Where Do We Go From Here?

       Now that my internship at the Nevada State Museum is over and I am facing my last two semesters of my program, the big question looms on the horizon: where do we go from here? After my time at the museum, I think that I can finally gotten a good grasp and a partial answer to this question. I think the proper answer is where do we NOT go from here?? Throughout this experience I have met with conservators, curators, registrars, museum directors, historic society members, publishers, writers, docents, educators and history enthusiasts and I have seen pieces of each of their work. The beauty of studying history, particularly public history, is the breadth of material and avenues that you can embark on after graduation. It really is an inviting and exciting field! While I don’t know exactly if next year I will find myself dressed in nineteenth century garb, detailing everyday life in a historic home or restoring one hundred year old undergarments, that’s the beauty of it isn’t it? The public history profession can take you anywhere you want to go. 

Sincerely,
Allison

Skat, Skins and Hands-On Time in the Gallery

         The day of reckoning has finally arrived: today was my final day at the museum. It seemed fitting that for my last day I got to spend the entire time amongst the exhibits in the permanent gallery. Today Stacy and I set up a “hands-on” table to give the museum patrons a rare chance to actually touch something in the museum. These touchables included: gray fox skin, gray fox skull, coyote skin, coyote skull, coyote paw print molds, coyote skat (i.e. poop) and a western diamondback rattlesnake skin.

 

           I had such a great time watching the kids and adults alike enjoy stroking the soft pelts of the animals, cringe at touching the rattlesnake’s rattle and wince when I suggested they pick up the “skat.” It was fun to see the excitement in the faces of the children and to rattle off a list of fun facts about the animals that Stacy fed to me. For instance, did you know that the gray fox is part of the dog family, and it is the only member of the dog family that can climb a tree? Or that rattlesnakes can have venom that is either heliotoxic or neurotoxic, the former meaning that it attacks the soft tissue of its victim and the latter that it affects the nerves. I’m not very studied up on my natural history and science so I felt pretty smug with my ammo of factoids.

        Being in the gallery for the day not only gave me a chance to walk around and really get the opportunity to read each and every display label during the downtime but it gave me some great insight into catering towards the public. For example, Stacy and I would note who came to touch the objects, what kind of questions they asked, or even if they asked any questions at all. This information we can use to determine other types of hands-on exhibits that the public might like and what the general interests are. Some of the questions that always made me chuckle were the “is this dead? HOW did it die? of natural causes?” incessant child’s “but why.... [insert explanation]... but WHY??”
         At both the end of the day as well as the figurative “end of the day” at my internship I feel such a greater appreciation for the professionals who run museums and for the importance of their work. I am humbled at the work that goes behind each and every exhibit as well as the many programs that the museum runs. There is so much that goes on “behind the scenes” to make history come to live for the public. I am grateful for the people that I got to meet along this journey and for all of the insights and knowledge that I was privileged to glean from them.

         Now every time I see an exhibit or wander the halls of a new museum I cannot help but pause and think about how and from where pieces were acquired, how they were cared for, and how the museum is using them to tell a story. Especially now I can barely resist the urge to wonder if the bones of a fossil are real or even where the catalog tag is hidden on each item. My experiences working behind the scenes at the Nevada State Museum revitalized my love for historical education and opened my eyes to the importance and complexities of museums. Although as a sophomore in college I would have walked right past a museum on the street, now I eagerly jaunt inside with a fresh perspective in tow.

Final Cataloging Project

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and the end of my time at the Nevada State Museum is rapidly coming upon me. How is it already August? I feel like I just started getting cozy in here.

A few weeks ago I started scavenging for usable showgirl pieces for our exhibit. The search turned out both good and bad. Positive: I found some pieces that had not yet been cataloged. Negative: We are not going to use any of them in our exhibit. Bummer. So, the last week or so I have been knee-deep in showgirl headdresses, boas and g-strings. It’s not everyday that you can say you spent your day sewing labels into someone’s used underwear. Like I said, the life of a museum intern is quite the adventure! 

          So for this last and final project I have been doing my usual cataloging procedure. Identify, describe, measure, label and enter into PastPerfect. With these headdresses it was quite a challenge to maneuver inside the headpiece and find a place that I could reach with my needle and thread. Luckily with pieces like these, any label that is sewn in will be obstructed by its placement on a mannequin. Although this worn but lovely pieces will not make it into our final exhibit, they are outstanding examples of the glitz and glam our that embodied showgirl style in Las Vegas. What a perfect ending to my time cataloging with Michelle in the museum archives as I move forward with preparations for our Vegas Style exhibit this Fall.

Conferences, Organizations and How to Get Involved in Historical Societies

         I don't think I've ever had a dull moment at the museum this summer. My last day in the archives was just as exciting as the day I started. Today we had the pleasure of meeting with Martha Grimm of the Costume Society of America. <http://www.costumesocietyamerica.com/>. The Costume Society of America is a wonderful organization made up of all types of professionals such as conservators, curators, professors, academics, students, museum staff and the list goes on. They are devoted to the study of textiles and promote this more recently flourishing area through their many symposia, publications and projects. They will actually be holding a symposium here in Las Vegas at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in May 2013. 

Martha was in town meeting with several museums in the Las Vegas area to decide on the recipient of their Angels Project. They are deciding between the Nevada State Museum, the Hoover Dam museum in Boulder City, and the Clark County Museum in Henderson. Their Angels project consists of a few dozen volunteers from across the country. The goal is to not only assist in the preservation and conservation of museum collections but to also educate museum staff and professionals about these methods for their use in other museums. They perform such service as packaging and preparing pieces for storage, basic repairs and conservation, steaming and vacuuming garments, making cloth hangers etc. It sounds like a dream project and it would benefit the Nevada State Museum tremendously to have such an endeavour there. Crossing our fingers! For more information about this project see their website at http://www.costumesocietyamerica.com/angelsproj.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnB2bydv_E0&feature=plcp  

This YouTube video gives a taste of their Angel’s Project program.

    Martha’s visit to our collection gave me some insight into ways to get involved within the history profession. There are a plethora of societies and organizations out there that cater to any kind of interest - whether it be western history or historic garments. Membership in these organizations offers the ability to network with other professionals and scholars, oftentimes find research funding and scholarship and get involved in projects and conferences across the country. As a historian there are a lot of resources out there and exciting groups to join!

Showgirls: The Saga Continues

Sometimes great opportunities and chance meetings just come out of the blue and today was one of those days. Remember how I have been working in the archives cataloging several of the museum’s showgirl’s pieces? Well as luck would have it, today I had most of the pieces out on the work table as I merrily sewed labels onto each piece. While working in the afternoon I had the opportunity to meet with Lisa and what a rare treat it was!

    Lisa is working on a book for Arcadia, a publishing company that produces picture books of Las Vegas. Her current project is to compile photographs and information for their latest book: one on the history of showgirls in Las Vegas. It was her lucky day because I had a smorgasbord of showgirls pieces already out and ready for her to look at. What are the chances? 

    After taking a few pictures of some pieces (I even made it into one of the pictures - I could be in a book, I'd be famous ! :) ) I had a chance to find out a little more about how she does that she does. As we all know, the job market, especially for history majors, is a little hard. Even within academia, the pickings can be kind of slim. Lisa suggested other avenues for employement such as teaching (she teaches at CSN) or publishing. She actually works a few jobs as she both teaches, takes pictures for Arcadia's book, and is working on writing her own book on Las Vegas showgirls. She is quite a talented woman.

    Although it sounds like several books are coming out of the woodwork about showgirls, it is a neat experience in academia that we can all share our knowledge together. I discussed my experiences seeing Grant Phillipo’s showgirl collection as well as my knowledge from working on our exhibit and spending some time in the UNLV special collections archives. She likewise gave me names of other sources she has referenced, such as previous showgirls she has interviewed. It is a great network if you can find people to talk to and make some connections.

    One of the last great treasures that Lisa bestowed upon me was some advise about being published. Especially if you want to succeed in the history profession or want to go on for the PhD, you need some experience and  publications on your CV. THe more you can cram on that baby the better. Lisa told me about a book on deceased Nevada women that is coming together right now. To be included you just need to write a 800 word essay on a woman in Nevada. Opportunities abound it just depends on who you know and what you can find out about.

The Do’s and Dont’s of Museum Storage

Little did I know before starting this internship but there is quite a lengthy list of things you should and should not do when storing artifacts in the museum basement. Certain precautions must be made to ensure their reservation. Here are a few “do’s” and “don’ts” that I have used first-hand in my work:

Do use buffered or unbuffered acid-free tissue paper

Do use specialty glue and paper tags

Do lay garments flat

Do put tissue paper around each item if there are multiple in a box

Do stuff paper in shoes, hats, sleeves and pant legs of garment pieces

Do store pieces in a controlled environment with limited exposure to draft, wind, sun etc. - remember “cold, dark, dry!”

 

Don’t hang garments on hangers

Don’t place artifacts in storage containers other than the acid-free museum boxes

Don’t handle any pieces without wearing gloves - oils from your skin can ruin artifacts

Don’t sew a label in a visible place, try to conceal it 
Don't put boxes on the floor, store them on a shelving unit

Don’t do anything that is not reversible

The Springs Preserve: Comparing Exhibit Styles

They say that you always need to know your competition, right? When it comes to museum work, maybe it is more appropriate to say that, like any great artist, you can gain inspiration from looking at the work of others. Whichever way you want to spin it, today Stacy and I headed over to the Springs Preserve next door to check out their exhibits.  

Despite the fact that I drive straight past it every time I go to the museum, I have never been to the Springs Preserve. All we had to do was flash our museum badges and we were in. Being a student, free access into anything is exciting – really.

If you haven’t been to the Springs Preserve before, you really need to go! They have so many fun things to do both for children and adults alike. The main exhibit that we went to “check out” was their new exhibit on venomous snakes, Envenomators: The Venomous Snakes of North America

I really enjoyed the way that they constructed the display cases. All of them had little flaps - that I will admit reminded me of toilet seat covers - that had trivia about snakes. Ranging from true and false to multiple choice, they offered a hands-on way for the public to “interact” with the exhibits. They were not only educational but fun to try and guess the answers to the questions. Several other highlights included seeing a live rattlesnake, some videos of snakes and last but not least a giant metal snake that you could crawl inside of. 

After checking out our competition, we spent the remainder of the afternoon, enjoying their outdoor display cases and animals exhibits. Designed like rock formations, they created animal enclosures that look like they are built into the rocks. They had quite an extensive collection of animals from ants to scorpions, tortoises to foxes. Seeing at it was oh, around 90-100 degrees on the day that we went, many of the animals were hiding in their holes. Something that I particularly liked about their exhibits is that they inserted a glass panel into the animal's’ “hide-outs” so you could sneak a peek at them even when they were trying to beat the heat! The San Diego Zoo could probably learn a thing or two from the Springs Preserve.

Gala Prep and Event Planning 101

Being caught up in all of the details of exhibition prep in the recent weeks, it is entirely too easy to overlook another important part: the opening night. Implementing an exhibit is such an interactive process and it has been a great opportunity to not only dabble in museum work but to work in the event planning arena as well.

Today I met with Maureen who is in charge of the museum facilities for events and special functions. As a former wedding and event planner she not only a pleasure to work with but a vital resource to help make our opening gala a success.

One of the key aspects of event planning is to know your audience. You need to consider what type and atmosphere you wish to create. Will it be an informal clambake or black tie? With these considerations in mind we moved forward with plans for a formal event with a reception to take place in their special events ballroom adjoining the gallery. While the exact details will slowly come out of the woodwork it was a great introduction into the rigors or event management. A myriad of things have to be considered such as good selection, music, rentals, decorations, staffing, invitations and the list goes on and on. Luckily the Nevada State Museum has these opening galas down to an art so we can learn from the experts. Especially when it comes time to draft the guest list and put out the press releases in the local magazines and publications, it will be good to have someone like Maureen pulling the reigns. With a notebook full of great ideas and important advice, we are ready to iron out some of these opening gala details.

This is museum's special event room. It has a stunning view of the valley!

Vegas Style: Moving Forward

Every week we get one step closer to getting this show on the road! With the opening night date of November 16th (mark your calendars!) looming in the not-so-distant future, we are starting to kick it into high gear. Today we met with Dennis and Tom to talk through the exhibit themes and basic details. Today was a bit of a reality check both to the fact that the opening is closer than we think and that we need to lock down a final theme. When planning an exhibit, creating a narrative is absolutely essential. Your exhibit needs a story, a thesis, a point of departure for everything in it. You cannot simply collect a few garments, mock up some descriptions and put them into a museum gallery.  That would be too easy and entirely incoherent. The public needs to know why pieces were selected, how they fit together, what type of message they are collectively trying to convey. And you cannot really finalize garments until you know how they should work together!
 
After much discussion and brainstorming of ideas it appears that tentatively our narrative revolves around “why people came to Vegas.” We will have evening wear from visitors who would have dressed up to attend events or gamble in the casinos. There will be pieces from the showgirl shows “Jubilee” and “Hallelujah Hollywood” as well as the aforementioned celebrity pieces from my last post, along with spectacular Helldorado.
 
Now that we have a workable theme and accompanying narrative, we can move forward with garment selection and finalize all pieces that fit into that overarching idea. At our meeting we also saw a mock-up design of the gallery. For a comfortable yet full gallery we are looking at having between 13-15 pieces with some possible film clips from the News Bureau and several plaques with images and information about pieces we were not able to acquire but which fit into our narrative.
 
Putting on a museum display is a long and involved process with many challenges along the way so stay tuned.

Vegas Style: Garment Selection

As the summer briskly moves along we are in full swing (and maybe a little bit of panic mode) with our exhibition. July-August is the time were we are finalizing the pieces that will be in our exhibit. Our big push right now is to finalize which pieces we will be borrowing from outside vendors. So far we will be using pieces from the Nevada State Museum Carson City, the Morelli House, the Liberace Foundation, and Pen & Teller. We are crossing our fingers that we can get some pieces from Donny & Marie Osmond, Elvis and a showgirl costume from Grant Philipo. 

While rummaging through some boxes I came upon a few great discoveries for our exhibit - huzzah! From a recent accession that I have been cataloging I found some cowboy boots and hats in great condition. One of the cowboy hats is a vivid purple color, made from Beaver felt. It is embellished with rhinestones across the brim; this piece will work well with our goal to use pieces that are spectacular and apart from the ordinary. These should also be good accessories for our garments.

Each day we seem to be getting a little bit closer smoothing out the details. Crossing our fingers that we can collect a few more pieces from some celebrities for our exhibit!

From Lincoln to Obama: Some Insights into Historical Artifacts

Do you ever have those weeks where it seems like everything is going wrong? I had that kind of week. But being at the museum is like a breath of fresh air: to interact with historical pieces, work with intelligent, experienced curators and professionals and see the public get excited about history. I tell you, a day at the museum is the cure for all that ails me.

Today was a get-down-and-dirty type of day. Dennis is collecting all paper items that have to do with the hotels and casinos of Las Vegas. So, Michelle and I got the job of hunting through the collection looking for these types of pieces - matchbooks, menus, programs, brochures - that kind of stuff. Remember that mountain of boxes I showed you earlier? Let’s just say it was a treasure-hunt of a task.

But, along the way we came across some interesting finds and I discovered some insights of my own. For example, in one box was a whole slew of Obama pamphlets, posters and literature from his 2008 campaign. I will admit that I am not a democrat so my discovery made me snicker at first. But upon second glance, something occurred to me. Who’s to say that these pieces won’t become important in the future? Maybe they will be preserved and put on display in a museum? Maybe they have already. What I discovered was history in the making. Obama was, after all America’s first black president, that is a major historical moment, no matter what your political persuasion. These things, although ordinary or insignificant are historical objects!

For example I was watching an episode of Pawn Stars the other day. Did you know that one of the “experts” that they use comes from our very own Clark County Museum? But I digress. One piece that they were looking at was a wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth for Lincoln’s assassination. Someone had saved and preserved it all these years - what a treasure! Although items like these seem obvious to save, what about others. 150 years ago no one probably thought that saving a campaign poster from Lincoln or Roosevelt’s political campaigns was noteworthy. But today these are precious artifacts. The bottom line is who is to say in the present that something is not important? Although I frequently dive through boxes in the basement full of what some people would call “junk,” each piece tells a story, it has a history, and who knows - in the future it may find itself in a museum display.

Arts 'n Crafts

Today I hit the classroom again for some good 'ole arts and crafts. After spending several hours last week sifting through activity books for some ideas, Stacy and I found a few that we liked and put them into action. I'm pretty sure that working in the education department is one of the best jobs at the museum because we got to spend the morning coloring - what other job lets you get paid to do that? So the activity we planned for the children today was to make Nevada pop-up picture books. We try to tie everything that we do in the classroom with Nevada somehow. So we came up with three scenes that we could put in our book: Lake Tahoe, Boundary Point (the tallest peak in NV) and Lehman Caves. We devised each picture with a picture that would 'pop up' when the book was opened. Stacy's drawings for sure looked better than mine, as I've said I lack that artistic gene. I think that some of the kids that came in today definitely drew better than I did! Can you tell which one is mine?

Natural History

Remember what I mentioned about networking and getting to know the fellow employees? Well today I had the chance to sit down for a little while and chat with Sali, the curator of natural history at the museum. As a history scholar we don't often get the opportunity to see the natural history aspect of things. Throughout my conversation with Sali I was wishing that I had paid more attention in my college bio 100 class, nuts.

If you've ever had a desire to be like Indiana Jones then this post is for you. Sali detailed her work as an archaeologist and some of the exciting digs that she has been on. For example, she did some excavations on San Clemente Island in Southern California. Ever heard of it? It is actually an island that is owned by the government and where the Navy Seals train. While there, her and her team found pre-history human remains that date back to 9,000 BC! Sounds pretty exciting.

A la CSI or Bones Sali specializes in pathology of human bones. What is interesting about her work is how much information she can gather from analyzing a piece of bone that is thousands of years old. Based on the pathologies, archaeologists can discern which muscles the people used, what activities they engaged in, what they ate etc. All that from a bone, pretty incredible! When I remarked that her work is a lot like the stuff you see on tv, she laughed and said that those tv shows do it all wrong. They make the tests and procedures look glamorous and quick. She said that the things they so on those shows would take a real archaeologist countless hours.

As we discussed her work with human bones as well as her work in the museum, it made me realize that I have not see any human remains in a museum before (well except for a museum I visited in Spain). Apparently there is a law in the United States that prohibits public museums from displayed human remains. Particularly in regards to Nevada, the Native American communities have asked that any bones found are not put on display out of respect.

After hearing stories of secret government islands, fossils thousands of years old, and complex pathology testing, I'll admit the idea of becoming an archaeologist crossed my mind a time or too. One thing to consider, however, with such an occupation - you have to go where the work is, not visa versa. Every occupation has its pros and cons. So if you have the determined dream of living in a double story Victorian mansion in upstate New York complete with four children and a dog, you may want to consider trading in your fedora hat and whip and opt for something a smidge less nomadic.

Gallery Tour

Today I got to tag along and see a museum tour in action. It was a fun experience to get out of the basement and out of the museum classroom and into the gallery. I’ve actually been so busy with all of the other projects that I’ve got going on, that I haven’t even taken a proper walk-through of the gallery.

Patty took a small group of school children through. From the fossils and natural history exhibits to the western wear of Helldorado, she had an impeccable knowledge and memory of each of the pieces in the exhibits. Here’s a brief run-through of our tour: first we started off at the giant mammoth exhibit – always a favorite with the kids because of the shear size of the thing, it is quite impressive. I feel ashamed as a historian not know things, but something that I learned was that all of the bones and fossils on display are not real. Due to their age and fragility, they are all stored downstairs where the air and environment can be controlled. It was funny, at the end of the tour one of the little girls raised her hand and coyly asked if we were going downstairs to see the fossils.

What is neat about the Nevada State Museum is that their exhibits touch on all aspects of science and history. I never did well in science so it was quite informative to learn about stalactites, minerals and precious stones, animal habitats and bone structures of ancient animals. It is always a treat to see the awe and wonder on the children’s faces when they see the animal exhibits and especially the interactive displays.

The mining exhibit at the museum is especially fun. In one corner you can learn about life in the mines as a hologram miner recounts his tales as a Nevadan miner. Around the corner children can hop on an imitation mining cart. A television screen pans over railroad tracks and scenic byways with each push of the cart.  Other fun highlights include video footage of the 1950s Showgirls of Las Vegas, Nevada-native animals and Native American storytelling.

I picked up some great tips along the way as to how to be a successful museum docent. One of the import things to remember about guiding any group is to know your audience. For example on this tour, it was a group of young elementary-age kids. Most of them had some degree of mental disability. Accordingly Patty tailored her tour – she pointed out the familiar animals and objects and kept the history very simple. So appealed to their knowledge and asked them basic questions about animals – what they think they would eat, where they would live. It seemed like the kids really like being asked questions because they would eagerly raise their hand and shout out answers – even if most of the time they were wrong, they were really excited. Another important thing to remember when leading children’s groups around in particular is to stay at their level. For example, Patty was describing an extinct sloth’s bones and she referred to them as ‘compact.’ The children didn’t know what that word meant so she had to backtrack and say simpler words that they knew.

Especially as a scholar it is easy to slip into academic, advanced jargon. This was a nice reminder that working with the public as a public historian can be very different than your typical scholastic settings. So if you love working with people of all ages, you have a stellar memory, and you enjoy interactive and challenging work – a docent could very likely be something that you would like. Many historical houses and associations even offer docent training programs to teach those important tips and skills to succeeding at guiding tours.

Until next time,

Alliso

Hidden Treasures

Today it was back into the basement and into the cataloging world. I have been working on cataloging a box of items that have recently been donated to the museum. It is always interesting to read through the deed of gift and find out some background information on the items. At first glance, the box did not appear to be filled with anything special - some pencils, match books, newspaper clippings etc. Upon further research Michelle and I discovered more than we had anticipated from this simple box of personal belongings. Ever heard of Joseph E. Thiriot Elementary School? Or Bill "Wildcat" Morris Rebel Park? Turns out we were cataloging some of their personal items that were donated by their families. I know it's nothing 'celebrity-status' around here but it is a fun find to who some of these items belong to.

Is this match book awesome or what?

Public History: Historical Houses

As I’ve been getting a feel for life inside a museum, I have started to feel my way into the various other opportunities that are available in the public history field – and let me tell you there are many! As I mentioned in a previous post about my discussion with Patty, asking questions to my co-workers and talking with as many people as I can has proved fruitful. For example while discussing my interests following graduation, one staff member at the museum recounted their time spent working at a historical house in Long Beach, CA. I didn’t know much about historical houses so it was quite exciting to learn about. Working there she was able to do primary research on the house itself and its inhabitants. She gave tours of the premises and gardens – and even learned more about the house from guests on one of the tours which she was able to put into her research and present to the historical association. During the holidays, particularly at Christmas, they decorated the house festively and dressed up like the inhabitants would have at that time. As I have a large interest in serving as a docent it was fun to hear about various ways that this can happen. Public historians don’t have to be limited to a museum – there are many other avenues out there to explore!

For some interesting information on the historical house she worked at, go here:

http://www.rancholoscerritos.org/visitor.html

See you next time,

Allison

Material Culture in Action

Have you been wondering what these trunks are that I keep speaking of yet? Well, let me give you the deets on them you can get a better idea of not just what they are labeled with but what the heck is in there. Like a cadbury cream egg, the good stuff is inside.

Like I’ve previously mentioned the museum lends out several trunks to teachers in the local school districts. Today I had the chance to actually crack them open and take a peek. The women of Nevada was one of my favorites. Inside are a plethora of teaching materials for teachers. First there is a DVD with a powerpoint presentation and other resource books on the specific trunk topic.

The rest of the trunk consists of specific material objects. The Women in Nevada trunk is a trove of domestic gadgets and cooking utensils. For example, below is a picture of a nineteenth century iron – looks a lot different than it does today, right?

A good number of items in this trunk I had never seen before. Take the below object. Can you guess what it’s for? It’s a biscuit cutter.

As a teaching tool, is a great exercise for children to show them these objects to see how people in Nevada lived 150 years ago. By analyzing the types of objects they used, we can start to formulate what life was like for these initial settlers. Unlike the museum, where children can only look, these trunks give them the hands-on approach to history with tangible objects that they can touch and examine. I’ll admit as I sat on the floor and rummaged through the objects inside, I felt like a little kid again, full of excitement and eager curiosity. But that is what history should be all about, right?

Until next time,

Allison

Accessioning and Deaccessioning: How Pieces Enter the Museum Collection

Before I dive again into the exciting world of cataloging, let me define a few terms and lay a bit of groundwork here. Most of the items that come into the museum’s collection are donated. Only on occasion does the director purchase a piece. When a donor brings their items to the museum a deed of gift is created which puts into writing the official transfer of goods. These items are lumped together into one number – this is called an accession number. These numbers start with the year of the donation and then their order in donations that year. For example the pieces I am working on were donated this year and were the fourteenth items given to the museum – so the accession number is VM-2012-014. (VM stands for Vegas Museum).

On the infrequent occasion that the museum no longer needs an object in their collection, the item can be given back to the donor – this is known as deaccessioning. After the proper paperwork is signed and processed, then the items come to Michelle – the registrar and well, to me for the summer. We give each individual object a catalog number. This takes the initial accession number and adds to the end the number of pieces in the particular accession. For example, in this box I was working on was a framed newspaper clipping. It was the first item I cataloged from that accession so its official catalog number became VM-2012-014-001. Making some sense yet?

Next time I’ll talk a little bit about my most recent cataloging project and the hidden treasures Michelle and I have been encountering in the collections – excitement awaits!

Until then,

Allison

An Intern’s Bread and Butter: Networking 101

You never know what you can learn just from talking to people, even in the most unlikely places. Today looked like another day of working on the trunks in the museum classroom but it started off with a welcome surprise. At first, Stacy and I were expecting to take a group of children from the Boys and Girls club around the gallery. While they did not end up showing up, Patty, one of the infrequent museum volunteers did. A crucial aspect of any internship is networking. As an intern you are not only trying to get experience, get a feel for the inner workings of a museum, but to also explore the profession and talk to as many people as you can. This is key.

 So while the group did not show up, I got the unexpected chance to get to know Patty. He is actively involved in the museum community in Las Vegas and she gave me some great ideas about how to get myself out there and how to seek out opportunities in the field. She told me about other museums in the city that I could explore such as the Natural History Museum as well as the Old Mormon Fort which I was not familiar with. As a Civil War aficionado it was music to my ears to hear about a group called the Roundtable. They are involved in Civil War reenactments (here in Las Vegas, who knew??) annually. Something that I found really impressive and exciting was their volunteer work that they do in school classrooms. Throughout the year these Roundtable members will don their Civil War finest and go to classrooms and talk about the Civil War to the children. Not only do they get to fashion historical garb – as must do on my bucket list – but they get to educate kids about history in a non-traditional way.

Although I am fairly new to Las Vegas, it is great to hear about ways that us fellow historians can volunteer and work in the museum and historical field right here at home. So if you feel inspired just like me, go on, get out there and look for the possibilities that are available in your community. Maybe one day you’ll even find yourself sporting your soldier’s finest, faux-gouging a reb’ (not UNLV, of course) with your bayonet in the blistering desert heat a la “Gods and Generals” –  all for good fun of course.

Allison