Advice

The Sioux City Public Museum provides the Siouxland community with an opportunity to learn about its past. Its permanent displays explore the area's Native American roots, the businesses that sparked growth in the region, and the people who call Sioux City home. Traveling exhibits feature new topics every few month from which locals can learn. On the other side of the building, the archives are available for the public to use in their research or out of curiosity. The extensive collection of objects, photographs, papers, and books are an incomparable resource in discovering the history of the area.

The museum offers a great variety of internships from education and exhibit work to archival and collection opportunities. I was able to personalize my experience to get out of it what I could most utilize in my future. Overall, I loved that the atmosphere to be very friendly and casual. The two full-time employees in the archives department and countless volunteers made it so there was always something going on, but the work environment was still enjoyable. Every time I showed up to work, the people there put a smile on my face. It made me excited to work in a museum one day.

In my experience, interns are given projects and expected to work on them independently. Of course, the supervisors are always there to answer questions, provide guidance, and check on progress, but it is important to be self-motivated. I enjoyed being given ownership and the ability to pave my own way. Since everyone approaches their work differently, this allowed me to create an organizational system that made sense to me when processing the collection. My supervisor explained to me that it didn't matter how I filed the materials as long as he could find the materials in the future!

As an organized person myself, I thrived in this environment. I thought it was a great way for me to learn for myself, but the archives manager was very good at helping me learn about the operations of the place too. It was easy for me to get absorbed in my own work, but he took the time to enhance my experience and provide enriching explanations to supplement my work. The rest of the team was also always supportive and made my time at the Sioux City Public Museum as great as it turned out to be. This was an impactful and memorable place to intern.