Volunteer at the Museum

Volunteer Information

The Neville Public Museum would not be able to operate without the help of volunteers. Volunteer work can be rewarding; it enriches the lives of those who participate. At the Neville Public Museum, we break our volunteers into three groups: Adults, High School Students and Interns.

Adult Volunteers

Adult volunteers help with a variety of different tasks from working with the public to behind-the-scenes. Benefits of becoming a volunteer include making use of a skill or hobby you enjoy, sharing knowledge and memories with young people, spending more time at the museum or just having fun.

Docents (Educational Volunteers)

• Docents help guide tours of our current history, art and science exhibits. Docents need not know the subject extensively beforehand, as the museum provides training and scripts for guiding groups through the museum. They must enjoy learning new things, working and communicating with students, and being enthusiastic and talkative.

Collections Assistant

• A Collections Assistant aids the Curator of Collections with cataloging and filing, research, and special projects. 

Curator's Assistant

• A Curator's Assistant works on special projects under the supervision of the curator in art, history, or science.

Gift Shop

• Gift Shop volunteers will run the computerized cash register, greet customers, and price merchandise. Experience is not necessary. Volunteers are needed on a long-term basis. 

Handypeople

• Handy men and women who enjoy fixing things, woodworking, painting and using tools are needed for installing exhibits, painting cases, hanging pictures and making puzzles. Some lifting may be required.

High School Volunteers

There are many opportunities for high school students. Are you in need of service hours? Do you want to learn what it's like to work in a museum or in an educational environment? Want to have fun with creative and interesting activities? Volunteering at the Neville Public Museum in the summer or during the school year might be the answer for you.

Discovery Room Cleanup

• Volunteers in our Discovery Room will be responsible for straightening, sorting, and sanitizing the hands-on kids activity area. Hours are weekdays and weekends from 4—5pm only.

Explorer Saturdays

• Explorer Saturdays are held monthly and volunteers are needed to assist participants with the activities. You will get the opportunity to learn a new craft or activity, or even share your own hobby that fits with the theme of the day. 

Summer Docent Opportunity

• If you are a student who might be interested in teaching as a career or just like spending time with kids, docents are needed to help guide tours from day-camps and day-cares. 

Crafter

• We are looking for creative students and retirees to learn crafts or activities on a short notice, handle money and cleanup the activity. Typical days include Saturdays and some weekdays in summer or when schools are on break.

Prep Work

• Volunteers help prepare arts and crafts supplies for weekend events or for school packets.

Interns

The Neville Public Museum of Brown County always welcomes new interns in the areas of Education, Art, Science, and History. While all internship positions are volunteer, they provide job experience working in your field, references, and community involvement.

Examples of internship projects include cataloguing objects or photographs, developing an educational packet or researching a subject for an exhibit.

You need not be a Museum Studies person to do an internship at the Neville Public Museum. Interns have been students majoring in foreign languages, English, history, art, biology, education and business.

Typical internships are 5-10 hours a week during weekdays. The length of internship depends on your semester length and the amount of credits you are applying for.

A county background check is required. This background check differs from your college background check.

When contacting the museum about an internship, be sure to indicate whether you would like to work with the public or behind the scenes.

 Application and Forms

• Volunteer Application
• Intern Application
• Background Check (Required for ALL volunteers 18 years and older)