The Byron Society Collection at the University of Delaware seeks Museum Studies majors interested in completing the “Museum Studies Internship (MSST464)” to assist with the development and cataloguing of the growing collection housed within the English Department in Memorial Hall. Working approximately 150 hours under the supervision of Professor Charles E. Robinson, the collection’s co-chair, the intern will have a unique opportunity to work with a collection in the early stages of its development within the University. During the course of the internship, the student may

• Identify, research, and describe for cataloguing some of the material objects housed within the collection
• Prepare one or more objects for display
• Consult with the collection’s primary donors and other programs at the University, such as the program on American Material Culture and the University Gallery, to provide accurate descriptions of the objects and their provenance
• Assess the conservation needs of the paper objects and organic matter within the collection, consulting with the Program in Art Conservation, and make recommendations to the collection’s co-chairs
• Identify and suggest possible web links for the collection's objects, such as Art Encyclopedia and the Bard Center for the Decorative Arts
• Join the Collection’s board at its annual luncheon meeting in October of each year to provide a brief report on the internship

Interested students should contact Professor Robinson at robinson@udel.edu or at 302-831-3654.

Brooke Benson (Spring 2004) Brooke Benson interned when she was a senior at the University of Delaware, with a major in Art Conservation (with a concentration in collection’s care) and a minor is Art History. During her internship, she focused on the housing and documentation of photographs in the Byron Society Collection. Brooke plans to live in Philadelphia and work in the field of conservation.

Megan Companion (Spring 2004) Megan Companion interned when she was a sophomore at the University of Delaware, with a major in Art Conservation (with a concentration in collection’s care). She has an avid obsession with the painter Maxfield Parrish. During her internship, she catalogued and arranged the engravings in the Byron Society Collection. In the future, Megan hopes to take a Master’s Degree and work for a museum with a significant conservation program.