Have you ever wondered what curators do behind the scenes? Are you looking for a way to learn new skills and meet new people? The South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Agricultural Heritage Museum has many opportunities to get involved and explore new things through our volunteer program. Whether you can come for a few hours each week or just focus on one project, we have projects that are right for you. All volunteers are subject to a background check through SDSU Human Resources. SD Board of Regents policy 4:47 background checks.
Here are just a few:
Collections Cataloger
Time: On-going; two hours or more per week.
Supervisor: Curator of Collections.
Objective: Assist with inventory and collections documentation; to record the location, condition and photograph the artifacts in the collection.
Qualifications: Interest in historical artifacts. Attention to detail. Ability to work independently and as a team. Assignment requires the ability to handle objects with both hands and read small numbers. Must be able to climb ladders and stairs.
Responsibility: To measure, describe and photograph each object. To record its condition and location. Attach an assigned number to the artifact.
Training: Curator of collections provides training on:
- Artifact handling
- Description
- Measuring
- Writing condition reports
- Attaching numbers
Tour Docent/Guide
Time: As needed basis. Tours are one to two hours, depending on the activity. Schedule varies throughout the year. Most tours occur during April, May and early June.
Supervisor: Education Coordinator
Objective: To provide a welcoming, hospitable environment and rewarding learning experience to museum visitors through guided tours.
Qualifications: Be comfortable speaking to small and large diverse groups of people of all ages, especially children.
- Interest in South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã history and general agricultural history.
- Physically able to lead tours around the museum. Be able to hear in noisy situations.
- Enthusiastic, flexible.
- Capable of learning new material rapidly and willing to spend time and expend the effort necessary to study material on various topics about agricultural history.
Responsibility: To provide a safe, fun, educational experience for visitors.
Training: Supervisor provides general orientation and specific training on:
- How to give a tour, examples of scripts.
- Background information about the exhibits.
- Crowd management.
- Understanding learning styles and developmental stages for various audiences.
If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, please contact Sarah Jacobs at 605-688-6226 or Sarah Jacobs.