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 Dakota 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 Dakota 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.