Untold Histories Research Volunteer - MERL Object Collection Records (MERL)
Untold Histories Research Volunteer - MERL Object Collection Records - Further Afield project
Location: The reading room at The Museum of English Rural Life (ground floor) - Monday afternoons from 1pm to 4pm. We expect that this project will initially run for 7 weeks from 15 January 2024 to 26 February 2024
Why we want you:
Information about our object collection that was held on the object’s original accession file has not always been recorded in our computer database.
This means that certain information is not available to researchers when they are browsing our online catalogue.
Your aim is to search for references in the files that relates to people from underrepresented communities, which can then be added to our online collections catalogue. This will help us uncover previously untold stories.
What you will be doing:
You will be searching through our accession files. These files are the paper records kept when items were originally donated to the museum.
The accession files contain information about an object, or group of objects, such as donation information, letters, museum reference cards, photographs, drawings, as well as documentation about history and use.
The files are numbered with accession number and filed in order. The information is the basis for the computer database records, but not all the information has been transferred.
Supervisors will be on hand to help you understand the files, and suggest areas of untold histories or themes to focus on. You can also search shaped by your own interests.
Please be aware that when working on uncatalogued items you may discover some harmful content that you should highlight to the Project Supervisors. An example is an outdated racial term that was commonly used decades ago that would cause offence to modern researchers. As a result of uncovering this content, a ‘harmful content warning’ would then be placed on the file and the online catalogue to warn researchers.
Your findings will help us update our collections management database to make these stories far more accessible to researchers, which will in turn support future projects and learning.
You will be working in a small team of researchers alongside our Archive Re-packaging volunteers who will make new archival folders and re-pack the original accession file papers into the new files to help the files survive longer.
This role will suit you if you are:
- Interested in museum collections management
- Interested in researching untold histories and telling diverse stories through museums
- Self-motivated, with some experience in research
- Able to both work independently, but also enjoy being part of a team
What you will gain in return
- Gain behind-the-scenes museum experience working with museum
- Learn transferable research skills
- Practice team work skills
Who will I report to?
Madeleine Ding, Collections Officer & Tim Jerrome, Collections Researcher
How much time will it take up?
Our preferred session time for in person meet ups will be on a Monday afternoon from 1pm to 4pm. We expect that this project will initially run for 7 weeks from 15 January 2024 to 26 February 2024.
To apply
Please complete your volunteer registration form on our volunteering platform by midday on Monday 8 January 2024.
If you are using a mobile or tablet, once you click ‘Fill in an Application’, look out for the suggestion ‘It looks like you are on a mobile device. For a better experience on smart phones, go to Mobile Application Form’ and click on the link it suggests.
*Please ensure you tick ‘Untold Histories Research Volunteer - MERL Object Collection Records’ in your ‘Interests’ section under My profile, when registering*
When you are happy with your application, please don’t forget to click SUBMIT – otherwise we will never receive your form!
We are looking for 3-4 volunteers for the Researcher role. Behind the scenes collections roles are very popular and we a fortunate to find that many more volunteers apply for the role than we have vacancies, so we are unable to accept all applicants. You are welcome to attach your CV if you wish, but please include key relevant information when answering the application form questions, as this may be used if we need to shortlist from a larger group of applicants.
Existing volunteers - If you are already registered to volunteer with Museums Partnership Reading, please log in to the volunteering platform, click on My Profile, select the ‘Interests’ section, and ensure you tick the box next to ‘Untold Histories Research Volunteer - MERL Object Collection Records’ by midday on Monday 8 January 2024.
Matching to the role
If we think you are a match for this role, we will invite you to first session on 15 January 2024.