Vesterheim Museum Internship for Inventory Project,
Summer 2024
Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum & Folk Art
School, in Decorah, Iowa, is seeking a detail-oriented current undergraduate
student or current graduate student for an 8-week paid internship during the
summer of 2024. This internship is geared toward students interested in
learning more about and experiencing collections management through an
inventory project. This inventory project will include assisting with locating
objects, assessing the condition of objects, surface cleaning objects, moving
objects, photographing objects, and updating collection records in the museum’s
online catalog PastPerfect. The inventory project is part of Vesterheim’s long-term
plans to improve stewardship and access to objects related to local
agricultural and Norwegian immigrant stories. The intern will be assisted and
supervised by Vesterheim’s Collection Assistant.
This internship will primarily be onsite at Vesterheim’s
Jacobson Farm, an historic farmstead preserved to the early 1900s period and
located about 4 miles outside of Decorah. Over 400 collection objects are
located in various buildings at the farm. The farm has uneven ground, and the
buildings have different levels that are only accessible by steps. The
buildings are unconditioned and not secured from pests. Personal protective
equipment, such as gloves and masks, will be provided. The internship will require
climbing stairs, climbing ladders, lifting 50 pounds with assistance, and
standing for longer periods of time. Transportation to and from the farm will
be provided and there is a modern restroom, running water, and electricity
onsite.
The internship pays $12 per hour for 30 hours per
week over 8 weeks. The internship hours must be worked Monday through Friday, 8
a.m. – 5 p.m., but exact days and hours during that timeframe can be negotiated.
Start and end dates are flexible depending upon the intern’s schedule, but the
internship must be completed between May 1 and August 9, 2024. Vesterheim can
share information about options for inexpensive summer housing.
To apply, please send a cover letter and resume or
CV to Laurann Gilbertson, Chief Curator, [email protected] or Vesterheim, PO Box 379,
Decorah, IA 52101. The deadline for applications is March 10 with applicants
notified by March 22.