One Day, One Job » history

Martha’s Vineyard Museum

Willy Franzen — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:28:28 +0000

I spent at least a week every summer on Nantucket until I was 18. It was also a great time, and it’s where I have some of my fondest childhood memories. Oddly enough, I’ve only stepped foot on Martha’s Vineyard once. I was flying from Nantucket and the plane stopped on the Vineyard. I got out for some fresh air (it was a tiny plane) and got right back on. That means that I’ve never visited the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Edgartown, MA, but I’m sure it has a lot in common with the museums that I’ve visited on Nantucket. The museum is “dedicated to furthering an interest in, experience of, and appreciation for the history and culture of the Island and its environs.” That’s exactly what you’d expect, and they do this with exhibitions, collaboritive educational programs, scholarly research, archival collections, and community outreach.

Island Time

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum was originally founded in 1922 as the Dukes County Historical Society. They changed the name in 1996 to the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society, and again in 2006 to its current name. The museum’s current exhibitions include We Are Marching Along (the island’s role in the Civil War) and Out of the Depths: Martha’s Vineyard’s Shipwrecks. There are also plenty of permanent exhibits that educate on the island’s history from colonial times to modern day. If you want a quick intro to some of the history that museum covers, you should check out its Martha’s Vineyard FAQs. If you find island life intriguing and want to help tell the story of Martha’s Vineyard, look no further than the Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s Jobs page. Right now there’s only one 20-hour per week position as an Oral History Assistant, but I’m sure that you could fill the rest of your time on such an interesting island.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you been to Martha’s Vineyard?

Art.sy

Willy Franzen — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:56:39 +0000

The University of Chicago has five job openings that are perfect for recent grads. Check them out here.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m the black sheep of my family because of my lack of artistic ability and appreciation for art. Still, I understand how hard it must be for art enthusiasts to find art that they love. There’s so much out there, and no easy way to explore it in an organized way. That used to be the case for music and movies, but companies like Pandora and Netflix have done a lot to change that by building amazing recommendation engines. Art.sy, which is based in New York, NY is trying to do the same for art. They’re working on “The Art Genome Project,” which is “an ongoing study of the characteristics that distinguish and connect works of art.” It’s based on evaluating works of art “along 500+ characteristics—such as art-historical movements, subject matter, and formal qualities—to create a powerful search experience that reflects the multifaceted aspects of works of art.”

Are You Art.sy?

While Art.sy would probably be a great tool for helping me develop an appreciation for art, that’s not really its intended use (most likely because I wouldn’t generate much revenue for them). Art.sy is focused on serious art collectors who want to buy more art but don’t know exactly what they want to buy. If you want a more detailed look at how Art.sy works, check out this Wired article from a few weeks ago. The software sounds amazingly cool, though I can’t check it out because it’s invite only right now. There isn’t a ton of information available on Art.sy’s website (and the logo I’m using for them seems to be outdated), but they do have a Jobs page. Right now their open positions include Developer, Designer, and Writer (Art History background). Give them a look and see if any of them make sense for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you looking for new art to appreciate?a

Chemical Heritage Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:06:43 +0000

When I was a kid, I had my own chemistry set. It was pretty cool–I could do things like change the color of a liquid by mixing a few different powders. Ok, so it wasn’t that exciting, especially after I learned that my Dad would make his own gunpowder and blow stuff up when he was a kid. After having a watered down chemistry set as a kid, I ended up having a completely inept chemistry teacher in high school. It should be no surprise that my interest in chemistry fizzled out, but if I wanted to get the reaction going again, I might look to the Chemical Heritage Foundation. They’re a Philadelphia, PA based non-profit organization that “fosters an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society” by “inspiring a passion for chemistry; highlighting chemistry’s role in meeting current social challenges; and preserving the story of chemistry and its technologies and industries across centuries.”

Show Your Chemical Heritage

The Chemical Heritage Foundation has four key program areas. The first is The Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Library of Chemical History, which is exactly what it sounds like. The second is The Roy Eddleman Institute for Interpretation and Education, which is focused on bringing chemistry to a broader audience and includes the Museum at CHF. The third is The Center for Contemporary History and Policy, and it’s all about promoting chemistry’s current and future role in society. Finally, there’s The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry, which “hosts a community of visiting fellows.” As you can see, the CHF is working in every area that it can to connect society with the wonders of chemistry. You can explore CHF’s work much more deeply by browsing their website, so I highly recommend that. And if you really like what you see, you can go to their Jobs page. Oddly enough, the job that they have posted doesn’t require a background in science, as it’s a Project Development Assistant position. It looks like a great opportunity for a new or recent grad, so check it out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you have a chemistry set as a kid?

Chicago History Museum

Willy Franzen — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:20:57 +0000

I’m starting to get settled in my new place. After living in two moderately new high-rises in downtown Chicago, I’ve moved into a more historic building–it was built in 1921 and served as a Chinese consulate at some point. Now that I’m starting my fourth year living in the city, I feel that it’s only appropriate for me to start learning a little more about the city’s history. That’s why I should probably make a visit to the Chicago History Museum, which is just a mile down the street from me. Ironically, the museum, having been founded in 1856, “is the city’s oldest cultural institution,” though they pretty much had to start over after the Great Fire destroyed their building and most of their collection in 1871. Three years later there was another fire that destroyed most of what remained. Luckily, there haven’t been any more fires, so the Chicago History Museum has had a decent amount of time to build a new collection.

Make Your Job Search History

The Chicago History Museum’s collection focuses on eight specific areas: Architecture, Archives and Manuscripts (including Audio), Books and other Published Materials, Costumes and Textiles, Decorative and Industrial Arts, Fine Arts, and Prints and Photographs. The scope of these collections is limited to items related to Living in the Metropolitan Area, Working in the Metropolitan Area, Governing the Metropolitan Area, The Built Environment, and Individuals and Ideas. Apparently it all adds up to more than 22 million documents and artifacts. If you want to learn more about the specific collections, you should start here. And if you find that Chicago history speaks to you, then you’ll want to take a look at the Chicago History Museum’s Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Computer Support Technician and a Collection Manager – Costume and Textile (requires M. A. in Costume History, Museum Studies (Costume/Textile), or related field). If neither of those positions interest you, you could also consider volunteering.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you into your city’s history?

Internet Archive

Willy Franzen — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:11:35 +0000

Humans are really good at destroying history. It’s not usually intentional, but it’s hard to know what will be historically significant before it’s historically significant. Since most of us are constantly running out of space for “stuff,” it’s nearly impossible not to replace the old with the new. It’s happened with architecture, cars, toys, books, nature, and pretty much everything else we’ve touched, but nowhere is it happening more quickly than on the Internet. Old information is constantly being replaced with new information. It seems like a good thing–and it generally is–but we need to start coming to terms with the fact that more and more of our history is happening online. Luckily, we have the Internet Archive. They are a San Francisco, CA based non-profit that has been “building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form” since 1996. They’ve built an amazing resource, that you can access through the Wayback Machine. You can type in any URL and see what it looked like in the past. It’s amazingly cool, but a bit embarrassing for those of us who had websites back in the day.

Are You in the Archive?

The Internet Archive is full of useless information. Most of it will never be looked at again. However, we don’t know which archived sites might be interesting 30 years down the road. Maybe it will be a presidential candidate’s old blog or an entrepreneur’s first project. Since it’s impossible to know what will be important, the Internet Archive just keeps crawling and archiving the web as thoroughly as they can. I’m a huge fan of what they do, but I never thought to look to see what kind of jobs they offer until recently. If you look at the Internet Archive’s Jobs page, you’ll see that they offer a wide range of Engineering and Software Development positions. All of the current job postings are quite technical, but if you want to get a feel for what other types of positions they might offer in the future, take a look at the Internet Archive’s Staff page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you ever use the Wayback Machine?

VOICES of September 11th

Willy Franzen — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:06:26 +0000

We all have our own September 11th stories. I shared mine last year when I wrote about the National September 11 Memorial Museum. These stories, whether they are from the front lines or from people thousands of miles away, are what will ensure that we continue to use the memory of those whose lives were lost 10 years ago today as a positive force. VOICES of September 11th is a non-profit organization that was founded by two women who lost loved ones in the attacks to serve as “an information clearinghouse for those affected by the attacks through the use of a Web site, electronic newsletter, direct mailings and media outreach.” They are based in New Canaan, CT with a satellite office in New Brunswick, NJ, and they have expanded their mission over the years to include “providing continuity of care to promote resiliency and address the long-term issues” of those who were directly affected by the attacks.

Share Your VOICE

VOICES of September 11th seems to continually adapt as the needs of people affected by September 11th change. They’ve been quite busy preparing for the 10th anniversary, and I’m sure that the coming years will mark another chapter in the evolution of the organization. To get a better sense of what exactly VOICES does, you should visit their website at VoicesOfSeptember11.org. You’ll be able to see exactly what they’ve been working on. If you like what you see, you may want to consider a job with them. Their Jobs page doesn’t show any openings right now, but they do have Internship and Volunteer Opportunities. And you can always reach out to them to see if they might be able to find a place for you to fit into the organization.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you commemorating September 11th?

Nantucket Historical Association

Willy Franzen — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:01:51 +0000

I’m on Cape Cod for a wedding this weekend, so I decided to take my girlfriend over to Nantucket, MA for the day yesterday. I hadn’t been there in 9 years after going there every summer for the first 18 years of my life. It’s a wonderful island that is loaded with history. We walked around all day and made stops at the Old Gaol and the Whaling Museum, both of which are owned and operated by the Nantucket Historical Association. Both are well worth a visit, and so are all of the other NHA properties. If you want to learn about early American history, Nantucket is a great place to visit, and much of the reason is because of the work of the Nantucket Historical Association.

There Once Was a Historian from Nantucket

Much of Nantucket’s history is based around the whaling trade. It’s a practice that is now seen as immoral by much of the world, but it was essential to the growth of our country in the 1700s and 1800s. Nantucket was pretty much the center of the whaling trade, and it brought a ton of wealth to a very small island. Luckily, Nantucket has remained wealthy throughout the years, and a lot of the wealth has been committed to historic preservation through the Nantucket Historical Association’s programs, collections, and reach. If you can’t visit these sites in person, you should at least browse around NHA.org to learn more about Nantucket’s amazing history. And if it all resonates with you, then you’ll want to visit the Nantucket Historical Association Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Development Associate, which sounds like a perfect position for a new or recent grad who wants to ensure that the Nantucket Historical Association continues to get the funding it needs.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been to Nantucket?

Lower East Side Tenement Museum

Willy Franzen — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:25:48 +0000

We often forget that this country has been built (and is continuing to be built) by immigrants. For hundreds of years people have risked everything that they had to try for a better life in America. While just getting here is a journey, the first few years of “making a new life, working for a better future, starting a family with limited means” can be daunting. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York, NY tells the story of life in America for nearly 7,000 immigrants from over 20 countries who lived in the building between the years of 1863 and 1935. It’s a part of American history that doesn’t get a lot of attention (how many of us have visited colonial era museums?), yet it’s an extremely important part of our national identity.

97 Orchard Street

What’s most interesting about the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (which is part of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience) is that it gives us deep insight into how much living standards have changed over the past century. By sheer luck 97 Orchard Street was left as it was for more than 50 years, and when museum founders Ruth Abram and Anita Jacobson stumbled upon it, they knew it was the perfect place for building “a museum that honored America’s immigrants.” If you want to be part of sharing the history of the immigrants who built this country, then take a look at Jobs at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. They have a number of interesting opportunities including Museum Shop Associate, Visitor Services Associate, Collections Manager & Registrar, Costumed Interpreter/Educator, and Executive Assistant. Give them all a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever visited the Lower East Side Tenement Museum?

Sapphos Environmental

Willy Franzen — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:23:21 +0000

It used to be that if you wanted to build something, the hard part would be actually building it. These days the biggest hold up in construction and development is often environmental compliance. There are a multitude of regulations that limit what you can build, where you can build it, and how you can build it. The rules are often complex and they can vary greatly between jurisdictions. Sapphos Environmental is a Pasadena, CA based company that helps its clients resolve “planning, resource management, and environmental compliance issues through the development of pragmatic solutions and exemplary client service.” In other words they offer a range of services that ensure that development projects are done in an environmentally sensitive and compliant way.

Turning Compliance into Poetry

That maybe an odd heading, but it appears that Sapphos Environmental is named after an Ancient Greek poet. To get a feel for what the company does, you need to take a look at some of their past projects. They’ve worked on things ranging from the Hyundai Automotive Test Course to a Comprehensive Citywide Historic Survey of Santa Ana, CA. Looking at these cases, I can tell that Sapphos Environmental really digs in and looks at all of the issues surrounding a given project. Their job is to understand all of the factors that affect a given project, and then offer their clients a suite of options to their that work within the environmental and compliance constraints. It looks like fascinating work, which is why you may want to take a look at their Jobs page. They offer some really cool job titles like Archaeologist, Botanist, Avian Wildlife Biologist, Cultural Resources Coordinator/Architectural Historian, and Wildlife Biologist; however, most of these positions require significant prior experience. The two positions that you should look at are Wildlife Biologist/Botanist and Resources Specialist (if you have a Master’s Degree). If you have the right education and an interest in environmental consulting, you should be a good fit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Sapphos Environmental?

Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 17:14:34 +0000

Want to make a difference in your first job after graduation? MATCH Charter Public School is a great place to do so.

It’d be pretty cool to have your home turned into a museum. Not only would it mean that you lived in a pretty sweet place, but it would also mean that you made enough of a mark on history for people to actually want to learn about your life. There’s no better example of someone worth learning about than Thomas Jefferson. Not only did he write the Declaration of Independence, but he was also the third president and founder of the University of Virginia. It’s no surprise that he ended up on both the two dollar bill and the nickel. Anyway, many might expect Jefferson’s Monticello to be run by the government, but it’s actually managed by a non-profit organization called the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in Charlottesville, VA. They’ve been maintaining Monticello and 2,500 of its 5,000 acres for nearly 90 years with a dual mission of education and preservation, which is why they have continued to keep it open to the public.

Are You a Jeffersonian at Heart?

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation considers Monticello to be Jefferson’s “autobiographical statement,” which is why they’ve invested so much time and effort into preserving it. The estate includes “a house, an ornamental landscape, a farm, a plantation, a small mountain, and a large and diverse community, and it encapsulates “the interests, talents, ideals, ambitions, and realities of its creative and complex owner.” Monticello.org has tons of information on both Monticello and Thomas Jefferson, so it’s a great place to get started doing some research. In fact, if you don’t get lost in the excitement of reading up on Thomas Jefferson’s place in history, then a job at Monticello probably isn’t for you. And if you do get lost, hopefully you’ll eventually find your way to their job listings which show that they’re hiring for a number of positions including Garden Guide, Museum Shop Receiver, Reservations Associate, Retail Sales Associate – Garden Shop, and Systems Analyst. Most of the positions are part-time or temporary, but they’re still worth checking out. You might also want to consider their volunteer opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever visited Monticello?

The Island School

Willy Franzen — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 13:48:55 +0000

Today marks the end of vacation for a lot of people. Tomorrow morning’s blaring alarm will mean back to work or back to school, and the great feeling of the New Year will start to wear off. I have a couple of days left, but I’m not too excited to go back to Chicago’s predicted 19-degree weather on Tuesday night. But what if going back to work or school meant returning to an island in the Bahamas? That would change some attitudes, which is why you should envy the teachers and students at The Island School on Cape Eleuthra. The Island School calls itself “a mind, body, and spirit journey that takes students away from traditional high school curriculum and invites them to confront authentic challenges” where “classes are designed to allow first-hand engagement with the people and environment of The Bahamas.” It’s most definitely not a vacation, but it’s education in a far more welcoming environment.

A Vacation from Vacation

I love experiential learning. There’s no better way to learn than by just sucking it up and doing something that feels uncomfortable. That’s what The Island School is all about. They only teach grades 10 and 11, so it’s a very focused environment. You can learn about their methodology by looking at their pedagogy and their curriculum. That should give you a good idea of what The Island School focuses on from an educational standpoint. Specifically, they teach english, math, environmental art, history, and marine ecology while there is also plenty of time devoted to SCUBA diving, island exploration, sky diving, science research projects, and “campus work that encourages each student to develop leadership and teamwork skills.” I have a friend who took some time away from my high school to go to The Island School, and I’m pretty sure that she loved it. If you’d like to spend some time in The Bahamas, you should check out The Island School’s Teaching positions along with their Teaching Fellowship Program. You can find all of the information on their Jobs page. The Island School offers the following subjects: Human Ecology, Marine Ecology, Literature of the Sea, Histories of the Bahamas, IS Mathematics, Land & Environmental Art, and Applied Scientific Research, so that’s where they need teachers. Give the positions a look and see if The Island School is the right place for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of The Island School?

International Coalition of Sites of Conscience

Willy Franzen — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:43:56 +0000

I’m not a big fan of museums unless they’re super-focused on a specific topic. I get kind of bored looking at random collections of stuff, but when a museum or an exhibit tells a story, then I get interested. I’m sure I’d be fascinated at any one of the “Sites of Conscience” that are in the network of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, which is a New York City based non-profit organization that is “dedicated to helping historic sites inspire social consciousness and action.” The sites in the network are “specifically dedicated to remembering past struggles for justice and addressing their contemporary legacies,” and there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with at least one of them. Remembering our history is essential to moving forward on human rights issues, and the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience ensures that our history is accessible and delivered in a compelling way.

Follow Your Conscience

Some of the sites in the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience’s network include the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, GA; the Gulag Museum at Perm-36 in Russia; the Women’s Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls, NY (I drove by this so many times when I was at Cornell); the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York, NY; and Constitution Hill in South Africa. There are plenty more, and you can get a better fell for the sites by watching this video (e-mail readers should click through):

You’re probably wondering what exactly the Coalition does— it “provides member sites with direct funding for civic engagement programs; organizes learning exchanges ranging from one-on-one collaborations to international conferences; and conducts strategic advocacy for sites and the Sites of Conscience movement.” If that sounds like a movement that you want to be part of, then you should check out Jobs at International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Right now they’re looking for a Communications Associate (posted on Idealist). It’s not quite entry level, but I think it’s still worth a look for new and recent grads.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you visited any of the Sites of Conscience?

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Willy Franzen — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:41:42 +0000

September 11th, 2001 was supposed to be a great day for me. I was a senior in high school, and through the intricacies of my school’s scheduling system, I only had two classes scheduled that day. I was going to be out of there before 11 AM. Things didn’t go as planned, as the Head of the School made an unexpected appearance during morning announcements (the school was small enough that we could all meet in one large room). Something terrible had happened, but it wasn’t quite clear how bad it actually was. A couple friends and I immediately went to the beach across the street from our school. We knew that on a clear day you could see the Twin Towers, and September 11, 2001 was as clear as they come. We watched as a mass of smoke obscured the New York City skyline, and we listened to radio reports of what was going on. Luckily, many of the things that were reported on the radio about other possible attacks weren’t true, and the magnitude of the casualties from the attacks weren’t nearly as bad as we first feared (we thought there might be 50,000 dead in New York City alone). Still, there was a feeling of terror that none of us had ever faced before. I spent much of the day with other classmates, some close friends and some not so close. We went to another beach, watched the news at someone’s house, and went to a church service. September 11th is one of the days that has defined the world that I grew up in, and it’s likely that you feel the same way. It’s a day that I will always remember, which is why I am happy to see the National September 11 Memorial & Museum progressing. It’s supposed to open a year from today, and I’ll certainly visit once it’s open on the Ground Zero site.

What Do You Remember?

This year’s anniversary has come with much more angst and contentiousness than I remember from previous September 11ths. I still don’t think that our country has fully processed and absorbed what happened nine years ago today. I think that the National September 11 Memorial & Museum will help to put things in perspective. This morning I came across an online account of an early tour of the yet to open Memorial, and I urge you to take a look. The Wikipedia article on the Memorial also gives some good background on the project. Beyond being the name for the Memorial, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum is also a non-profit organization that is “responsible for oversight of the design, raising the necessary funds, programming and operating the Memorial & Museum being built at the World Trade Center site.” This means that they do, indeed, have jobs, which you can find here. If you were greatly affected by 9/11, then you should browse through their open positions. The only job that they have posted that I would consider entry level is Information Technology Support Analyst, but they have plenty of internships, so there may be some other opportunities for new grads in the future.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What are your memories from 9/11?

Daughters of the American Revolution

Willy Franzen — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:45:14 +0000

Happy Independence Day! (And Happy Birthday Mom!) Today we’re celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Though I’m sure you’re showing your patriotism, chances are that your celebration includes some combination of barbecuing, beach, beer, baseball, and blowing stuff up. The Daughters of the American Revolution take the Fourth of July a little more seriously. They’re a “non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.” They restrict membership to women “who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution,” so they also happen to be “one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country” with 165,000 members. I’ve seen the DAR march in my town’s Memorial Day parade, but their work goes far beyond making public appearances.

Are You a Daughter of the American Revolution?

The Daughters of the American Revolution is responsible for a ton of volunteer work. They put a big focus on historic preservation, which means that they contribute a lot of money to both the building and restoration of commemoratives and memorials. There’s also a huge focus on patriotic public outreach by doing things like publishing a manual on citizenship, participating in naturalization ceremonies, providing flags and flag codes to organizations and schools, offering services to veterans, and granting patriotic awards like DAR Good Citizenship Medals and the DAR Medal of Honor. The DAR also puts a huge emphasis on promoting and supporting education, while also spending a significant time on genealogy. If you’re impressed by the DAR and want to be a part, you might have to check your bloodlines (and presumably your gender); however, if you want another way in, you could check out jobs at Daughters of the American Revolution. Right now they’re looking for a Temporary Data Entry/Documents Scanning Specialist and a Cataloger Genealogical Researcher. Both positions seem like they could be suitable for new grads, so check out the full descriptions on the DAR Jobs page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How are you celebrating the Fourth?

National Archives

Willy Franzen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:46:55 +0000

Since I’m going to have a non-profit for you tomorrow, let’s start celebrating the Fourth of July today. Now, I know that you probably have fireworks, the beach, hot dogs, and hamburgers on your mind, but let’s take a minute to appreciate the Declaration of Independence. It’s the best “I Quit” letter in the history of the world. It’s like that letter that you wrote to your parents when you were 14 and decided that you were moving out, except it isn’t completely nonsensical. The Declaration of Independence has a lot to do with why this country is so great, so I hope that you’ll take a minute to give it a read today. And where do you go if you want to read the Declaration of Independence? The National Archives, of course! You can see the original document in all its glory, or you can check out a more readable version. If you’re not familiar with what the National Archives is, basically they “are the nation’s record keeper.” They preserve and keep forever 1%-3% of our government’s documents for both legal and historical reasons.

Declare Your Independence with a New Job

One Day, One Job has its own archives, but it’s nothing compared to what the National Archives has (duh!). The National Archives serves many constituencies, as there are all kinds of uses for historical documents. These include: the General Public, Genealogists/Family Historians, Veterans and their Families, Educators and Students, Researchers, Records Managers, Preservation and Archives Professionals, Information Security Specialists, Federal Employees, Members of Congress, Press/Journalists, and more I’m sure. You could spend hours learning about the National Archives and what they have preserved, so I’m going to leave that research up to you.

What I do have for you is an inside look at what kind of jobs they have available. You can start learning about what it’s like to work at the National Archives by visiting their Careers page, and from there you can check out their Jobs page. Here’s where it gets a bit confusing because there are a lot of options. You want to select Jobs for the General Public or Federal Career Intern Program. The former takes you to the USAJOBS.gov site where you can see all of their job listings. Right now the best option is Archives Technician, but there might be some other options for you. The latter isn’t actually an internship program; it’s an entry level hiring program. It doesn’t have any openings right now, but it’s worth keeping an eye on because it looks great.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever visited the National Archives?

National Park Service

Willy Franzen — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:37:02 +0000

Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays—not only because it signifies the start of summer, but also because I love small town patriotism. My hometown always has a fantastic parade that is often accompanied by a fighter jet fly over. Now, today’s employer may not immediately make you think of Memorial Day like last year’s did (it was Weber-Stephen, the manufacturer of my favorite charcoal grills), but you’ll realize pretty quickly why the National Park Service is a great choice for today. Not only are some of the parks that they manage great places to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend outdoors, but they’re also responsible for quite a few memorials including The Marine Corps War Memorial, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Korean War Veterans Memorial, and The World War II Memorial. Memorial Day is really about our fallen heroes, and the National Park Service is constantly working to honor them by maintaining and managing our memorials.

Celebrate Memorial Day All Year Long

If you love Memorial Day as much as I do, then a job with the National Park Service might be something worth thinking about. Whether you love the outdoors and want to be at Yosemite, love history and want to be at Lincoln’s Boyhood Home, or love our country and want to be at one of the memorials, you’ll have plenty of options. The NPS is constantly working to preserve “unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” So, how do you land a job with them? You can start at the NPS Jobs page (it has some awesome photos from the 70s), but that will dump you into USAJobs.gov—use this link so that you only see jobs posted from the NPS. There are 163 jobs posted right now, and many of them are entry level, so we’re not going to wade through all of them for you, but you should know that the NPS typically hires in the following areas: Administration, Health and Safety, Archeology, History, Architecture, Human Resources, Biological Sciences, Landscape Architecture, Community Planning, Maintenance and Facility Management, Concessions, Natural Resources, Contracting, Park Police, Cultural Resources, Park Ranger (Protection), Engineering, Park Ranger (Interpretation), Financial Management, Park Site Interpretation, Firefighting, Physical Sciences, and Fire Management. That should help you direct your search on the USAJobs.gov site a little better. Applying for government jobs can be tricky, so be sure to pay very close attention to the details before you send in your application.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite National Park/

Shmoop

Willy Franzen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:49:53 +0000

Back when I was in high school (yes, part of that was in the 90s), I thought that I was really savvy when it came to using the Web to do better in my English classes. I found online, public-domain versions of many of the books that I was reading. The best part was that these were searchable, so if I needed to find a quote or a specific passage, all I had to do was remember a key word or two. It was fantastic. A lot has changed since then, and I don’t even know the extent of what academic resources are available online now. What I do know is that it’s not fair that today’s students have access to sites like Shmoop, when I couldn’t even dream of something like it. What is Shmoop? It’s hard for me to describe briefly, so maybe you should take the Tour de Shmoop.

To Shmoop or Not to Shmoop?

If you took the tour, you saw that Shmoop is like a really awesome online tutor. It won’t do the work for you, but it will make learning, writing, and understanding a lot easier. It’s too bad that you’re almost done with school, so Shmoop won’t do you much good; however, if you’re the kind of student who didn’t need Shmoop because your outlines were so comprehensive and your analysis was so on point, then you can do good for Shmoop. They need really smart people to help them improve their service and move out of beta. If you look at the listing of jobs at Shmoop, you’ll see that these aren’t the typical opportunities that you’ll see from a Silicon Valley startup. Ok, they have the standard openings for PHP and/or Python Rock Stars (in Sunnyvale, CA) to help them build the software side of their product, but they also need brilliant English, Literature, and History majors to help them build the content side. They also need Editors and Spanish language translators. These positions can be full or part-time, you can do them wherever you want (location flexible), and the hours will be at your discretion. Does it get better than that? Who would have thought that English and History majors could score jobs at a Silicon Valley startup?

Not sold yet? Here’s what Shmoop has to say about themselves: “We move quickly. We debate passionately. We obsess over grammar. We quiz each other on literature and history. We chow on Specialty’s cookies. We dream of better ways to make learning fun and relevant.” If you think Shmoop is a game changing educational tool and you want to be a part of it, then send a resume and cover letter to jobs@shmoop.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How much higher do you think your GPA would have been if Shmoop had been around when you were in high school?

The Museum of Modern Art

Willy Franzen — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:04:44 +0000

I am the black sheep of my family. My mom is a graphic designer, my dad is an architect, and my sister is a painter (although she doesn’t want to be labeled). I have no artistic talent whatsoever, and I barely have the ability to appreciate good art. That means that I’m probably not the best person to tell you about the The Museum of Modern Art, but they do have some great entry-level job opportunities, so I’m going to tell you about them anyway.

What Is Modern Art?

Founded in 1929, MoMA is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world. What is modern art? We’ll use MoMA’s own words from their website to tell you that.

To achieve its goals The Museum of Modern Art recognizes:

That modern and contemporary art originated in the exploration of the ideals and interests generated in the new artistic traditions that began in the late nineteenth century and continue today.

That modern and contemporary art transcend national boundaries and involve all forms of visual expression, including painting and sculpture, drawings, prints and illustrated books, photography, architecture and design, and film and video, as well as new forms yet to be developed or understood, that reflect and explore the artistic issues of the era.

That these forms of visual expression are an open-ended series of arguments and counter arguments that can be explored through exhibitions and installations and are reflected in the Museum’s varied collection.

That it is essential to affirm the importance of contemporary art and artists if the Museum is to honor the ideals with which it was founded and to remain vital and engaged with the present.
That this commitment to contemporary art enlivens and informs our evolving understanding of the traditions of modern art.

That to remain at the forefront of its field, the Museum must have an outstanding professional staff and must periodically reevaluate itself, responding to new ideas and initiatives with insight, imagination, and intelligence. The process of reevaluation is mandated by the Museum’s tradition, which encourages openness and a willingness to evolve and change.

In sum, The Museum of Modern Art seeks to create a dialogue between the established and the experimental, the past and the present, in an environment that is responsive to the issues of modern and contemporary art, while being accessible to a public that ranges from scholars to young children.

How Do I Get a Job at The Modern Museum of Art?

One would have to imagine that getting a job at an institution as prestigious as MoMA is pretty difficult. They have some fantastic job opportunities that are well suited for new college grads, so you’ll need to find one that you’re a perfect fit for and blow them away with an outstanding cover letter. If your knowledge of art is less extensive than mine, then you should probably forget about it. MoMA is currently looking to hire for the following positions: Administrative Assistant – Media; Cataloguer (15 month project) – Prints and Illustrated Books; Coordinator, Community and Access Programs – Education; Coordinator, Education Administration – Education; Curatorial Assistant – Painting and Sculpture; and Education History Research Fellow (1 year project) – Education. You can find full descriptions and requirements for each of these opportunities on MoMA’s Jobs page.

To apply for a job at MoMA, you should send a cover letter and resume to jobs@moma.org with the position title in the subject line of your e-mail. You should also include salary requirements (we hate when companies/organizations ask for this – it’s unreasonable). The Museum of Modern Art is located in New York City, and so are all of their entry-level jobs.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever visited MoMA?