University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
1. The Penn Museum’s Oceanian Section houses and cares for over 22,000 objects from the islands of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Borneo, Philippines), the islands of the Pacific (Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia) and Australia. Photographic documentation of these collections includes negatives, slides, digital images and prints, some generated by the Section, some by the Museum’s Photo Studio and some by collectors and researchers.
Central to the Penn Museum’s new vision is improvement of accessibility to the Museum’s collections by creating Web-accessible digital collections and archival databases, making the Museum’s artifacts available to scholars, students and the interested public via the Museum’s website. With a view to laying the groundwork for attaining this goal, the Penn Museum’s Oceanian Section
is looking for a 2009 summer intern to improve accessibility to the existing photographic materials relating to the Section’s collections. The project will include scanning slides and connecting the resulting digital images to object records, adding negative numbers and publication references to object records, and working closely with the Museum Archives to learn proper procedures for cataloguing images and creating finding aids for collections of images relating to specific expeditions or research. Experience with scanning and Photoshop is desirable, and acquaintance with Filemaker Pro a plus. More important, however, is an affinity for research and attention to detail, and the ability to work independently.
2. The Archives of the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology document the collections, the field expeditions and research, and the individuals that make this 120 year old institution unique. The Archives collect documents, photographs, maps, and drawings related to the activities and fieldwork of the Museum.
The 2009 summer interns will assist with the archival care and management of documents and photographs from the Museum’s historic anthropological and archaeological investigations around the world. This is a great opportunity to learn archival techniques for students interested in anthropology, history, museum studies, and historic preservation. The interns will work closely with the institution’s archivist on all aspects of archival processing, arrangement, and description, including preparation of finding aids. Interns will also gain experience in basic preservation skills, cataloging, and assisting with archival reference requests.
We are looking for students with good organizational skills and attention to detail, basic research skills, and the ability to work independently. Experience scanning, working with Photoshop, and/or Filemaker Pro a plus, but not required.
3. The Mediterranean Section seeks a 2009 summer intern to assist with the inventory and re-housing of the Mediterranean collections at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The inventory will focus on the following collections: Minoan material excavated from various sites in Crete, Etruscan material from pre Roman Italy, and archaeological bronzes. In addition, the intern will help make storage mounts as part of the re-housing of the collection. Moreover, interns will update locations and object information, using the museum’s collections management database, Argus.