Name: Madhavi Tiruchelvam
Class Year: 2028
Major:  Intended History         
 
Internship Organization:  American Philosophical Society Library and Museum
Internship Title:   Summer Curatorial Intern
Location:  Philadelphia, PA
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

Me at my desk

At my internship, I have spent the summer conducting historical research to assist the museum’s curatorial research team in preparing our upcoming exhibits. Museum exhibits tend to be planned several years in advance, so I primarily conducted research for an exhibit in 2027 on the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) collections at the American Philosophical Society (APS). Throughout the summer, I spent hours in the APS reading room working with archival materials. I also got to participate in weekly curatorial planning meetings for an exhibit in 2026 celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which was particularly exciting since Thomas Jefferson’s draft is part of the APS collection. I ended my internship by conducting an independent research project into the papers of Indigenous anthropologist Ella Deloria, a project which culminated in a twenty minute presentation and a forthcoming publication for the APS blog.

Why did you apply for this internship?  

Museum guide field trip to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania 

I applied for this internship because I wanted the chance to develop my historical research skills beyond an academic environment. This internship appealed to me particularly because it gave me the opportunity to conduct physical archival research, and learn proper archival conservation practices.
 
What has been your favorite part of this internship? 

The best part of my time at the American Philosophical Society (APS) was undoubtedly my colleagues. Everyone I met at the museum was kind, welcoming, and helpful. From the very first day, they strived to make me feel like part of the APS community, and I always felt comfortable asking questions. In addition, my colleagues consistently encouraged me to participate in exhibition planning meetings and offer my own suggestions, which always made me feel included. It was such a pleasure to work with such a wonderful group of people, and to get to learn about all different aspects of museum work. 

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you? 

Through this internship, I have learned a great deal of archival research skills. These skills include learning how to efficiently search through finding aids, how to handle sensitive archival materials including photographs and manuscripts, and determining what information is relevant when researching and writing biographies of historical individuals. These skills are important to me because they will be useful in future academic research for my intended history major. I have also learned about the necessary skills for museum exhibition design, which include analysing exhibits from outside institutions, conducting a variety of curatorial planning meetings, and moving museum objects. I also got the opportunity to practice interacting with museum visitors as a museum guide, which was important to me because of my future career goal of working in some form of public history output.