Volunteer at MERL

Volunteering is an ideal way to learn new skills, make friends and get involved in a wide range of projects at the University of Reading.

We offer projects for volunteers within Museum of English Rural Life, and also in the University's other Museums: the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology and the Cole Museum of Zoology. In addition, there are also opportunities in Soil Sciences and Typography and Graphic Communication.

The projects we offer can be short or long term and even if you only have an hour or two to spare a week, your time could make a real difference in helping us organise our collections.

Students

Many of our volunteers are students from the University of Reading. However we also offer work experience placements to pupils from local schools, graduates and undergraduates from other universities who want to volunteer during their holidays.

All of these volunteers share one goal. They want to gain insight and relevant work experience to help them decide whether they want a career in museums, archives and libraries. Volunteering gives these students an opportunity to find out which areas they enjoy working in and be better informed about what it's like working in these environments.

Special interest groups

The Museum of English Rural Life takes part in a joint projects with a special interest groups, such as the recent Heavy Metal project with the Road Locomotive Society, which aimed to improve the public's access to its steam engine and agricultural machinery manufacturers' archives. Volunteers from special interest groups are particularly valuable as they have specialist knowledge to share with other volunteers and can be very useful on a strategic level, for example as part of a steering group.

Local residents

Have you got time on your hands? We welcome local people as volunteers, whether you are interested in working in a museum or archive, want to make friends or learn a new skill. Come and get involved in a fascinating museum on your doorstep!

 

Projects
Find out how volunteers have helped with a textile conservation project

 

Volunteers for Museums

2010-11- Volunteers for Museums

If you are interested in volunteering, contact our Volunteer Coordinator to find out more.

 

Celebrating Volunteers

"Volunteers are the life and soul of the University Museums, they contribute so much time and effort, offering invaluable experience and a breath of fresh air. We are delighted that our volunteers have been recognised at the highest level, we hope that our community volunteers continue to be a part of our organisation for years to come." - Rob Davies, Volunteer Coordinator, UMASCS.

Universities Week 2011 press release - University says thank you to its volunteers

MERL celebrates Volunteers' Week - read about our volunteers' trip to St Fagans in Wales in June 2009.