A word from Caroline Bardua, recipient of the MOTAT Society’s first Oriel Bickerton Internship

When I completed my Museum and Heritage Practice Master’s Degree in April 2024, one of the biggest hurdles I encountered while applying for jobs was a lack of practical experience in the heritage sector. As such, the Oriel Bickerton Internship was something of a godsend and a hugely valuable prospect. I am extremely lucky to have been offered this chance to work with the team at the Walsh Memorial Library, who have all been incredibly welcoming, as have all the other MOTAT team members I have met during my time here.

My project has been to tackle a section of the WML’s Ephemera and Manuscripts collection― old, donated materials that needed organising, rehousing, and recording. The records that already existed for these materials were quite sparse and mostly recorded by hand in an old register. I have spent my time going through some of these materials, box by box, creating a skeletal record that can be transferred into Vernon CMS, and rehousing what I find into acid-free archival storage. Throughout this, I have also pulled objects and materials that are better off as parts of other collections within the library, such as Publications or Pictorial, or indeed, those that belong in other parts of the MOTAT, such as some WW1 uniform patches and an Air New Zealand Antarctic Certificate Seal. I have encountered insect damage to be managed and unexpected treasures (if only in my mind) such as the weaving pattern book for an old New Zealand wool mill.

From the first moment, the Oriel Bickerton Internship has been a fantastic experience. I cannot thank the WML team enough for everything I learned and achieved, or the MOTAT Society, for allowing me to be here in the first place.

by Caroline Bardua