Listen to a conversation between a student and the director of the campus Art Museum.

S: Hi, Miss Hendrick. I'm going to have a lighter course load next term, so I was wondering, would it be possible to get one more shift per week at the museum?

D: Oh, maybe, there are other students whose schedules we need to accommodate. So I'll get back to you, okay? But you know what, there's a special project I'm hoping to get started on next term. Maybe you'd be interested? S: Definitely.

D: There's a grant our museum is applying for.

S: You want me to help with a grant application? I mean, I've never...

D: No, no, it's already been submitted. Applications are quite complex, and we have staff members who have experience writing them. S: Right.

D: Yes. Show me a non-profit institution without a good grant writer, and I'll show you one that's closed its doors.

S: Even a university museum? Doesn't the school pay for everything?

D: The university keeps our lights on, pays salaries and such, but we still need grants to pay for specific ventures like special exhibitions or projects.

S: I didn't realize. Where do the grants come from?

D: Places like governmental art agencies, non-profit organizations, but you must apply and make a case that the money will be used to benefit the public somehow. The grant we're applying for is from the State Arts Council.

S: What will you do? I mean, if you get it?

D: We have thousands of photographs in our collections, and we want to digitize them, create an archive that's accessible through the museum's website. We've been meaning to do it for a long time, but haven't had the resources.

S: I've always been curious about that. Doesn't that mean fewer visitors? I mean, if you can view a museum's collection online?

D: People still enjoy the experience of viewing art in person, that cannot be replaced.

S: True. I guess making photos viewable online might make people who've never heard of us get interested in our on-site exhibits and events.

D: It certainly could. But mainly, we'd like our collections to be accessible to the largest possible audience. In this case, anyone with an internet connection would be able to study and appreciate our photos. This particular grant would also create an opportunity for arts and humanities students to do work related to their fields, especially photography and museum studies.

S: What kind of work? D: If we get the grant, we'll need a team to carry out the digitization, and we'd like students to be part of that team. Interested?