Volunteering with Special Collections
Volunteers make an invaluable contribution towards Special Collections, enabling us to extend the work that can be done by our team, and making our collections more accessible for people to use and enjoy. Volunteering is unpaid, but can offer a wide range of benefits to those who generously volunteer their time with us. This includes the opportunity to get hands-on with unique collections, to develop new skills and knowledge, and to gain valuable experience which can improve employability. For University of Exeter students, volunteering in Special Collections can also count towards the Exeter Award.
Special Collections runs a small volunteering programme for time-limited projects (usually three to six months). The volunteering programme is open to university students and staff, as well as members of the public. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Due to limited spaces available for volunteering, half of the spaces will be reserved for the professional development of University of Exeter students.
Volunteering will usually take place in person in the Old Library, in either Special Collections Reading Room on Level 0 or in the Special Collections office on Level –1. If you have any access requirements, or any other questions, please email libspc@exeter.ac.uk and we will be happy to assist.
All relevant training will be provided, and each volunteer will have a volunteer supervisor to answer questions and offer advice on working within the heritage sector. We want you to get as much out of volunteering as possible and encourage you to let us know if you have an interest in a particular collection or area of work.
Volunteering opportunities are advertised at the beginning of the Autumn Term (see University term dates), and additional opportunities may become available later. If no opportunities are listed below, the programme is currently at full capacity. Please check back at the beginning of the next academic term.
To see what previous volunteers have worked on, check out the blog posts written by current and former volunteers on our Special Collections blog.
University of Exeter LibGuide is licensed under CC BY 4.0
