Meet Monica, who is completing an internship at MOA

Hello!  I am Monica Norris, and I began my Collections internship with the MOA in May.  I am completing my final semester of the Museum Management and Curatorship post-graduate program at Fleming College.  The reason I chose to study at Fleming College is because the program is intensive and very hands-on.  A lot of material is covered, not only from an academic approach, but I also had many opportunities to apply concepts in a practical manner.  This has given me a more realistic experience than other programs might offer.  The skills and tools I acquired through the MMC Fleming program have prepared me for real life situations, and given me the ability to perform a wide variety of tasks that are common practice in medium to small sized museums.

I will be working in collections management this summer, helping to create, maintain and enhance the archaeological records in the database PastPerfect.  This has involved cataloguing artifacts that have not been entered into the system yet, as well as providing condition reports.  Along the way I have been repacking artifacts into archival bags.  I will also conduct research to help gather information to be used in the collections records and in museum blogs.

I chose to intern at the MOA because I have had a deep curiosity about archaeology since I was a child. I have gone on digs in England, and more recently some in Ontario.  I will be honest, before my digs in Ontario I was quite naïve about how much archaeological evidence there is in Canada.  Now I am so excited to learn more at MOA, and have the opportunity to handle these artifacts!

It hasn’t even been a month yet, and I feel right at home.  The staff here are lovely.  They are friendly, hard-working, and enjoy their jobs.

In addition to cataloguing, my summer project will be to develop, create and install my own small exhibit in the main gallery.  I enjoy exhibit development as much as I enjoy collections management, so I look forward to what the summer has to bring at MOA!  Once I graduate I plan on pursuing a career in the heritage and museum sectors.  I love to research, and have an honours BA in English Rhetoric and Professional Writing.  My strongest interests are in curatorship, exhibition, and collections management, but I hope to explore any and every opportunity offered to me to!

 

 

Editor: Thanks for taking the time to meet Monica. If you missed the piece by our other Intern Desiree Barber, you can read it here. We feel fortunate to have these talented young women with us and look forward to their contributions. We hope to follow their careers when done with school. Welcome Monica and Desiree. Thanks for choosing MOA for your internship.