Justin Eid - Co-op Student, St. Pius X High School

I am a Grade 11 student at St. Pius X High School. I did a ten week Co-op placement at the Nepean Museum. I really enjoyed myself here, and the staff have made me feel like a part of the Nepean family. The Nepean Museum displays artifacts from and information about Nepean and how it began.

The first day I arrived at my Co-op placement I had a tour given to me around the whole Museum. They took me to the back where they store everything such as old artifacts from Nepean. There I got to see old cameras that were as big as my foot, even bigger! They had a lot of older tools that were donated to them from past citizens of Nepean. I found it very interesting to see how our technology has massively changed throughout the centuries.

I worked mostly on the new Museum website that was launched in January. I was responsible for creating alt-tags for all the images on the new website. I was also responsible for creating a variety of display pictures for Facebook as well as finding 'Fun Facts' about Nepean and creating discussions. Computer skills were important to doing the job. You need to be able to know how to use certain programs and to constantly be aware when several tasks are given at the same time. A lot of the work I did here at the Museum had to do with working on the computer and I tended to have trouble printing. It seemed that every time I printed I seemed to jam the paper!

The reason I selected my Co-op placement at Nepean Museum was because everyone is welcome when they come through the doors of the Museum. The staff gives you the full experience of working and aiding with major projects. From talking to the staff I have learned that the education needed for working at a musuem is to have a qualification from college or university in the museum area. The best thing about my placement here at the Nepean Museum was being able to relax in a comfortable and enjoyable workspace. I strongly recommend citizens and the Ottawa public to come and volunteer here at the Nepean Museum where the experience is worthwhile.