Making tote bags at Honors College Recess
Author: Thomas Medford | Major: History | Semester: Spring 2023
Howdy! My name is Tommy Medford, and I am a rising senior from Conway, Arkansas studying History, with minors in Spanish, Global Studies, and Political Science. This semester, I had the privilege of interning at the University of Arkansas Museum, where I worked with one of the curators on education programming and outreach initiatives. I learned valuable skills in the museum studies field, and got a firsthand look into one of the most underappreciated resources our university has to offer.
My internship at the museum was spurred by some encouragement by Dr. Jared Pack in his Introduction to Public History class to get involved in the field. I reached out to Laurel Lamb, the Education and Outreach Curator, who was more than willing to let me intern. Working with Laurel, I laid out ambitious plans for the semester. The main goal was to complete a learning kit using the collections, which is a mainstay for the education division of many museums. Bringing artifacts or specimens into classrooms for object-based learning, whether it be science or history related, is a valuable experience for students. It connects the physical world to broader concepts, making it easier to convey ideas.
The museum, located in the Biomass building just off campus on Garland Avenue, has an impressive collections. Over 7.5 million objects divided between geology, zoology, and history serve various classes ranging from ichthyology to art history. Laurel and the museum staff frequently give tours of the collections. Since the museum doesn’t have a traditional space due to budget cuts in the early 2000s, it is important to share the collections with the public whenever possible. That was my goal with my learning kit – the topic being fossils.
I had the opportunity to network with various professionals in the education and museum fields. The UA Museum Advisory Council has several educators, and I was able to chat with some members about object-based learning. This formed an important basis for how the kit developed. I was also able to discuss a very successful object-based learning program spearheaded by the Arkansas Department of Education with the professionals that designed it, which taught me about how teachers use lessons plans (or sometimes don’t).
Working with Laurel gave me a greater understanding of how museums operate, realizing quickly that collections are often divided between teaching collections and permanent collections. The fossils that I used for the learning kit had to be outside the scope of potential research, yet still be interesting enough to maintain students’ attention in the classroom. Using Microsoft Access, the software used to organize the collections, I picked a series of items that we later pulled and photographed. In developing the content of the kit, I worked from Arkansas K-12 standards, so that teachers had a basis from which they could connect the kit to their curriculum. With help from a science educator, I utilized Bloom’s Taxonomy and the 5E model for the sequence of the suggested lesson. I produced teacher materials, a detailed handout connected to the standards, activities, a slideshow, and compiled many sources on fossils and prehistoric organisms. Laurel was able to test the kit at a middle school in Siloam Springs, giving the kit its first public trip. It went well, and I’m proud to say the museum has its first new learning kit in years.
The learning kit, with 20+ fossils, comes with various content for teachers and students
As part of my internship, I was also able to participate in outreach events with the museum, including tabling at the Union for the upcoming museum strategic plan, and tote-bag making at Honors College Recess. I had a great time interfacing with fellow students and sharing the museum, a great resource, with them. We also toured the nearby Rogers Historical Museum, where I learned about collections management specific to the discipline of history; chatting with their collections manager gave me a lot of insight into the career as a whole.
Although I worked completely outside my typical field, I really appreciated my time at the museum. It solidified the idea I had about museum work: you wear many hats, and perhaps you have less resources than you should, but you do it because it matters to you. Working on a science topic and delving into the education side of museums was enlightening because it challenged me to develop new skills from other disciplines that I otherwise wouldn’t have forayed into. I also learned that time management is incredibly important. While a truism, it became obvious to me as I tackled school and other extracurriculars; I simply didn’t have as much time as I would’ve liked to work on museum projects. Which is why I’d recommend to anyone that you get involved with our museum – whether it be volunteer work or an internship – because the work those folks do is underappreciated and often unseen. Looking at you, Laurel! Moving forward, I plan to pursue my M.A. in History, and see where my career takes me, whether it be in the museum field or education.
An exhibit I helped install at the Fayetteville Public Library (these display cases are clunky!)