Family History Centre Assistant

Family History Centre Assistant

 

Sutton Central Library is home to a dedicated Family History Centre, providing a vital resource for the community to research local historical records, documents, and photographs. We are currently looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our team in one of three specialized roles.

Available Roles

1. Project Volunteer (Tuesdays)

  • The Role: Perfect for those who enjoy hands-on preservation and organization.

  • Tasks: Learning to conserve paper materials, scanning negatives and photographs, box listing, cataloguing, and site photography.

  • Commitment: Morning shift, afternoon shift, or full day.

2. Search Room Assistant (Thursdays and/or occasional Saturdays)

  • The Role: Ideal for "people persons" who enjoy administrative variety and assisting the public.

  • Tasks: Answering emails, assisting visitors with research requests, filing shelves, managing photograph collections, and helping with small projects.

  • Commitment: Thursdays and/or occasional Saturday mornings.

3. Research Volunteer (Tuesday or Thursday Mornings or afternoons)

  • The Role: Best for those with strong writing skills and a love for deep dives into local history.

  • Tasks: Creating blog posts, drafting biographies and local history summaries, and conducting in-depth research for complex queries.

  • Commitment: Tuesday or Thursday mornings or afternoons.

Skills Required

  • Reliability: We look for volunteers who are dependable and conscientious.

  • Interpersonal Skills: A patient, calm, and helpful manner when dealing with the public.

  • Digital Literacy: Sound ICT skills, particularly with online resources and the internet.

  • Subject Interest: A genuine interest in family history and local heritage.

  • Research: Experience with Ancestry, Find My Past, or general research is a plus, though we will provide training.

Where: Based at Sutton Central Library, Family History Centre, St Nicholas Way, Sutton.

Benefits to You

  • Share Your Passion: Pass on your knowledge of local history to others.

  • Skill Development: Gain technical experience in archives, conservation, and professional research.

  • Community: Meet new people and be part of our friendly, growing team of volunteers.

  • Make a Difference: Help preserve Sutton’s history and help others discover their roots.