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Internships Strengthen a University Dress & Textile Collection

Author
  • Jennifer Banning (Illiniois State University)

Abstract

University dress and textile museums and collections (DTMC) provide a wide range of learning opportunities for students (Welters & Ordoñez, 2011). Experiences with collection items can vary depending on course needs, faculty training, and collection access (Marcketti & Gordon, 2019). Small university DTMC can be particularly vulnerable to tight academic budgets. These under-resourced collections typically have no paid staff and are often managed by faculty who oversee the DTMC as part of service requirements within their work contracts (Marketti et al., 2011). Despite these challenges, university DTMC must demonstrate usefulness and relevance to justify occupying valuable space (Ashby, 2009). The purpose of this presentation is to describe how the development and implementation of a structured internship experience for undergraduate students at one university dress and textile collection has strengthened the internship site while fulfilling a crucial need for students.

Keywords: internship, collection, museum

How to Cite:

Banning, J., (2025) “Internships Strengthen a University Dress & Textile Collection”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 81(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.18893

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Published on
2025-01-20

Peer Reviewed