Special Collections: Volunteering and Work Experience placements

Are you in Year 10 or Year 12 and looking for a unique work experience opportunity? Would you love the chance to get hands-on with rare and historically significant items? Are you considering a future in heritage, libraries, or archives? If so, a work experience placement in Special Collections could be the perfect opportunity for you!

Work experience offers a fantastic introduction to the world of archives and rare books. During your placement, you will:

• Gain practical experience in retrieving, handling, and re-shelving archival materials and rare books;

• Learn how we care for our collections and make them accessible in our reading room, teaching sessions, exhibitions and events;

• Work alongside the Special Collections team to explore the wide range of roles within the department and gain insight into day-to-day activities;

• Discover how Special Collections fits into the wider University community, including connections with the Library, the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, and the Digital Humanities Lab;

• Take on an independent project, which may involve research, listing, stocktaking or repackaging materials;

• Have the opportunity to reflect on your experience by writing a blog post for our Special Collections blog.

To see what previous students have worked on, check out the blog posts written by former work experience students on our Special Collections blog.

Placements in July 2026

Special Collections is delighted to offer work experience placements each July for Year 10 and Year 12 students from schools in Devon and Cornwall.

• Reserved Placement: One week-long placement is allocated for two students from a local school.

• Additional Placement: One further week-long placement is available for up to two students who apply directly via email.

If you are interested in applying for the additional placement, please email Special Collections at libspc@exeter.ac.uk with the following details:

• Your name and your school

• The dates of your work experience week

• A statement explaining why you are interested in a placement with Special Collections

We encourage students to contact us directly. Placements are limited and in high demand, so we recommend getting in touch as early as possible. If we are unable to offer you a placement, you are still very welcome to arrange a visit, which includes a tour of the collections and an informal chat about careers in archives and heritage.

We look forward to hearing from you!