Anthropology Major Interns at the Athens Historical Society

by Austin Rivers, 17

Sydney Stapleton is interning at the Athens Historical Society. She is in her third year of undergraduate studies in the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University as an Anthropology major and History minor, while also working towards both Museum and European Studies Certificates.

The Athens Historical Society is an organization that dedicates itself preserving and collecting evidence of historical and cultural significance in Athens County and other parts of Southeastern Ohio. Sydney found out about this internship through Dr. Nancy Tatarek, the internship coordinator for Anthropology majors.

After expressing her desire to work with a museum and historical based program, Dr. Tatarek, who already had all of the connections and resources, helped Sydney navigate the proper channels to organize such an internship for her.

This is Sydney’s first internship and going into it she had no idea what to expect.

Upon beginning her work she was extremely pleased to find out she would be deeply involved in the daily operations of the museum.

Sydney’s main responsibility as an intern is to help the Historical Society museum relocate from its current location on Court Street to its new location at the First Christian Church on 24 W. State. She is excited to have a hands-on experience in organizing and helping the museum in its relocation process.

What has surprised her the most is learning the intricate process of planning and organizing the daily operations and maintenance of a museum. As a part of the relocation process, Sydney is learning how each artifact and display must be handled and organized to ensure its integrity.

While this may be difficult work at times, she is more than happy to take full advantage of this hands-on experience since her career aspiration is to work for a museum.

Overall, Sydney highly recommends pursuing an internship with a historical society for any student who is interested in museum or anthropological work.

She says during her brief time working with the Athens Historical Society she has already gained invaluable skills and conceptual knowledge that expects will aid her in her career goal of working for a museum.