Week 8

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Today, I finished inventorying the last box of Bunnie Hall's archaeological collection that I will archive while I am here at MOSH!  (At least, I think and hope.)  After I printed out my twenty four page inventory sheet of two hundred three artifacts, I went to the Curator's computer to input and save the data from last week's temperature and humidity collection.  This month, I did it entirely on my own (cannot remember if I mentioned that a former intern/now volunteer assisted me last month).  I followed along with my instruction sheet from the Collection Resource Binder, and it was not difficult.  It makes sense to keep track of all the data in a spreadsheet, so it came pretty easily to me.  After that data was saved properly, I went back to the Collections Room to finish my research on the Dent Mound article.  I finished rather quickly since I was almost done anyways, so I moved on to more articles featuring the Shields Mound, Grant Mound, and the Mill Cove Complex.  I am nearly done with that article also.  I feel like even though I have read through a lot of material, I will need to dedicate a bit more time to research to properly collect and organize my findings into usable material for the Archaeological exhibit.  With only a few weeks left, I feel my time here running short, but my goals not nearly reached.  Time to get to work!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Today, I researched all day.  I knew I needed to really buckle down and get some serious research done.  I went through a few great articles and outlined them.  I got some good work done.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Today, I also researched all day.  More importantly, I met with Lenny to discuss my research so far and the direction of my future research.  I requested some articles from Dr. Ashley's Curriculum Vitae to read through and outline.  After our meeting, I took the time to properly organize all the research I have been doing.  Lenny requested that I format them a certain way, so I spent some time proofreading and editing, then went back to doing more research!  I am truly learning that researching a large project is extremely time consuming.  I realized that my research direction was off in the beginning, but I have progressed in accurately and efficiently finding and reading material that I need.  I do believe this internship has improved my research skills significantly. 

Friday, July 12, 2013

Today, I wrapped up some research from the day before.  Then, I helped another volunteer/past intern, Jordan, research some old ship kerosene lanterns.  They did not have any markings from the manufacturer, which is unusual.  It was fun to research something other than projectile points, stone tools, or pottery!  Then, we assisted in handling objects in a case in an exhibit.  Electrical work needed to be done behind the case, but someone from Collections always needs to handle the objects.  It was cool to do something else and learn how to handle the casing.  I was really interested to learn that museum casings have screws with irregular shapes on the heads, so a normal screwdriver cannot unscrew them.  This way, any shady museum-goer cannot try to unscrew a case.  After that was finished, I went back to the Collections Room.  I am finally moving on to inventorying the Dent Mound collection, which will be showcased in the exhibit I have been researching.  I began my first box and read up on the different kinds of tempered pottery before leaving.