METRO Innovative Internship Program

METRO is pleased to announce the METRO Innovative Internship Program.

Program Goal:

The goal of METRO Innovative Internship Program is to recognize, reward, and encourage innovative internships for individuals in graduate-level training to enter the cultural heritage profession, fund otherwise unpaid internships, and to foster innovative work within METRO-member institutions.

The program encourages students or supervisors to apply (application below). Projects currently underway and projects yet-to-begin are both welcome to apply. 

Award Details:

  • The METRO Innovative Internships Program will award at least 2 interns or projects per semester for the fall and spring academic semesters.
  • Recipients will receive $1500 in funding. If the host institution agrees to match the award with $500 or more, then the METRO Innovative Internships Program will pay the intern(s)/projects $1750 in addition to the institution funding.
  • Projects with multiple interns (2 maximum) are eligible but are required to meet the $500 minimum match. Students applying must already be working on, or selected for, an unpaid internship project.
  • The money will be paid directly to the intern(s), half at the midpoint and half at the end of the internship.
  • The deadline for applications is Friday, February 1, 2013. Awards will be announced by Friday, February 15, 2013.

Eligibility:

  • Only otherwise unpaid internships are eligible to apply.
  • Host institutions must be METRO members. If you are not sure if your institution is a METRO member, check the online member directory.
  • Current graduate students, recent grads, or individuals in career transition are eligible to apply.

Requirements:

  • The internship must entail at least 120 hours of work over the course of a semester to qualify for funding. Intern supervisors will be expected to confirm hours worked.
  • Funding recipients will be expected to write an 800-1500 word summary of their internship project for publication by METRO (we are open to alternate forms of final project outcomes – contact us with ideas). This piece should not duplicate any work turned in for course credit.

Defining Innovative:

METRO is open-minded about defining what constitutes an innovative project within cultural heritage. Surprise us. But if you require guidance, examples of innovative projects include but are not limited to those involving:

  • Novel initiatives around public services, advocacy, and outreach
  • Digital Preservation
  • New modes of access, exhibition, or publication of institution resources
  • Data Curation/Management
  • New technologies and approaches to collection and/or metadata management
  • Creative methods of education and community engagement
  • Researching and/or instituting new workflows, process, or policies
  • Inventive strategies for acquisition