Aldershot Military Museum

Data Hunter Volunteer, Aldershot Military Museum

Are you interested in looking after Hampshire’s history and getting hands-on experience with collections?

As a Data Hunter volunteer, you may find yourself working with our museum collections to document, catalogue, and record our extensive range of objects relating to military history and Aldershot’s heritage. With the support of your specialist training in collections care and object handling, you will play a vital role in helping to preserve and maintain our museum collections. 

What to expect :

Our volunteer roles are designed to be tailored around you, your interests and your skills. Some of the things you could be up to include:

• Working with our collections management team to catalogue, transcribe and coordinate our collections using our specialist system (MODES).
• Working with the venue manager, in line with the venue’s collections care plan, to conduct collections care activities on exhibitions within the venue.
•  Work with our collections management team to monitor and care for our varied collections across a specialist area or generally across all disciplines.
• Guide, mentor and support other volunteers (younger and neurodiverse) to develop, grow and learn alongside the venue team. 

This is of course not exhaustive as your volunteering will evolve around you and your skillsets. Full training, guidance and support will be provided. 

Skills and Experience :

Ideally, to be comfortable in this volunteer role we think you will need to have:

• An appreciation and awareness of the delicate nature of our collections – Essential.
• An ability to comply with clear instructions and health and safety requirements – Essential.
• You must be comfortable with manual and often physical activities. Any existing knowledge or experience is hugely beneficial.

As a result of volunteering in this role you will get:

• The chance to bring to life exciting exhibitions and memorable experiences. Experience in working with collections and exposure to behind the scenes of cultural management.
• The chance to work with and handle our historic cultural collection of nearly 2 million objects.
• Training in collections care and object handling
• The chance to support an innovative trail around collections management in a new way.
• A variety of volunteer benefits including free access to all HCT venues Looking to get stuck into something practical? Use your hands-on skills to make a huge impact on culture!
• Full training for all aspects of the role will be provided.

 Expectations:

We expect professionalism from all who are representatives of Hampshire Cultural Trust. Whilst conducting your role or any activity that may be considered to represent the Trust, you are expected to uphold our values and standards, working in alignment with our policies and expectations of conduct.

Values:

Our values are very important to us, and we expect all volunteers, staff, and everyone we work with to abide by these when representing HCT and working with us:

We are committed to promoting equity, inclusion and diversity and a culture that actively values difference.  We recognise that people from different backgrounds and experiences can enhance the way we perform and work. We aim to be inclusive, valuing, and respectful of diversity, developing the ability to recruit and retain a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve and seeks to engage.