Paul Morgenstern - Collections Engagement Team
During my time working with Europeana I had the privilege of writing my research thesis, ‘Using Europeana Metadata to Analyse The EU’s Policy Effectiveness in Digitising European Heritage’. It explored how the cultural heritage and public policy sectors can analyse their policies with new types of data to better understand how Big Data impacts their work.
The main skill I learnt from working with the Europeana Foundation was how to work with messy data and data cleaning skills needed to produce good research data. This skill was a great addition to my research design and implementation skills, which I was able to refine while writing my thesis.
I really enjoyed my time working for the Europeana Foundation, among helpful and kind colleagues. I think the most valuable skill I gained was how to be creative with the data; you have been given and be patient when the results don't turn out as you expected. It is in these moments that the most valuable sights might be found. My advice for anyone who is thinking of doing an internship or wants to write their thesis with the Europeana Foundation is don’t be shy to ask questions about how your time there can support other fields than classical cultural heritage research. Europeana has a lot of data that is open source, easily accessible and can be used to find interesting insights in many different research fields. So be creative and enjoy the learning process.
Celina Bebenek - Service Experience Team
I completed an internship in the Service Experience Team where I conducted user research on Europeana users with disabilities. I have commenced my internship for the Europeana Foundation without much experience but the team was more interested in my ideas and enthusiasm for the role. During my internship I was asked my opinion on the current accessibility policy from day one and I was given the freedom to propose my own ideas. I attended scrum meetings and met a variety of people at the Europeana Foundation (graphic designers, developers, marketers, editors, and more). In addition to gaining a broad understanding of User Research, I also met interesting people, many of whom I am still in touch with today. Taking part in this project felt like an incredible privilege to me. Besides enhancing my career, it also provided me with an amazing learning experience as I was able to learn from the greatest experts in the EU in this field. It is especially recommended for people who are interested in social issues as the Europeana Foundation heavily invests into accessibility and making a positive impact on society.
Julia Heras Moron - Collections Engagement Team
As part of my internship I supported the GIF IT UP competition in 2021. When I started at the Europeana Foundation, it was an opportunity for me to have access to the sector while studying in Madrid. My experience with the Collections Engagement team was amazing, and basically I had the opportunity to start contributing from day one. This helped me build confidence, which I really appreciated. I also was able to engage in one on one meetings with not only people from my team, but from different parts of the organisation. This helped me in having a better understanding of all the positions I could specialise in the future. Doing an internship at the Europeana Foundation, helped me to have a clear understanding of my future in the heritage sector and all the advances made in heritage digitisation.
Petra Sofia Guido - Data Publishing Services team
During my internship at Europeana Foundation I had the pleasure of working with both the Data Publishing Services (DPS) team, the Collections Engagement team, and others. I had the chance to interact with people from across the organisation to be involved in multiple editorial projects, including the editorial campaign for Women’s History Month in March 2022 and the Napoleon and urbanism in the 19th century exhibition. Because I also worked with the DPS team, I got the chance to experience how to interact with data, from the acquisition to the editorial output. It was an amazing experience to find out how these teams work on their own and with each other, to witness the Europeana Foundation’s inner workings and what it is like from the inside. I realised that it is a place I would like to work at, a great growth-oriented (both personal and professional) environment of like-minded people. It is a truly great thing to take care of cultural heritage, especially to make it available to people, and find different ways to make them engage with it.
Raul Gomez Hernandez - Collections Engagement Team
From September 2020 to May 2021, I did my internship at the Collections Engagement Team assisting the Education Manager in the coordination of European heritage educational projects. It gave me the opportunity to learn best practices for working on complex projects with several partners and work packages, and to interact with educators and heritage professionals around Europe.
I had the chance to work with an amazing, open-minded and creative team and the wonderful community of Europeana Foundation staff that made me feel very comfortable and confident with my tasks from the beginning. They stimulated me to propose new ideas for improving audience interaction and the way we work all together. That was how I got involved in the Digital Storytelling, New Professionals and Impact Lite Task Forces, the Diversity and Inclusion working group.
I also had the chance to coordinate campaigns like #reinventingBeethoven, create new content and editorial, and coordinate a roundtable and a workshop around digital heritage from the experience of new professionals in the III Meeting of the European Student’s Association of Cultural Heritage (ESACH) in Madrid. My time working at Europeana was very fruitful. There was no better place to start my professional career in digital heritage.
Ana Moreno - Service Experience Team
During my six months as Europeana’s Visual/Web Designer intern, I was able to learn a lot about different areas of my field, such as UI, UX, and graphic design. From day one I got challenging tasks that inspired me to improve my skills as a designer, while also learning the real life challenges that this sort of job implies. The experience made me more confident in my work, and also taught me valuable lessons that are important for any professional, such as time management and presentation skills. I was able to network with like-minded professionals, from interns to employees, that also shared my excitement for working in the cultural heritage sector.
Finally, at the end of my internship a role came up, I applied for it, and after going through a series of interviews, I got the job. I am incredibly grateful for this experience, as it was definitely a game changer for my career.
Find out more
If you are interested in joining Europeana you can use Europeana’s vacancy page to check for available internships. Applications are currently open for an internship on privacy policy.