Volunteering for a museum can be a very gratifying experience.  It is an excellent way to gain hands-on experience in the museum field if you are considering a career in the history, museum or related professions.

General Information:
Museum volunteers must log in their hours and be willing to sign an agreement regarding their work with the Museum, including the School of Dentistry's agreements related to patient privacy. Volunteers must agree to follow the direction of the supervising museum staff. Computer workspace is limited in the Museum workroom so some of the work may need to take place elsewhere.

All volunteers are expected to be skilled, respectful, thorough, careful, and resourceful.  Once trained or oriented to the Museum's work they must be willing to work independently and meet with or report frequently to the Curator. The Museum staff highly encourages retired dental professionals, retired dental school faculty or staff as well as museum studies students to consider a volunteer opportunity in the Museum.

The Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry has the following volunteer opportunities:

Long-term positions:

Tour Guide. Must be willing to learn the Museum exhibits, read additional sources and answer visitor questions. Hours may be few and scheduled with known visitor groups during museum hours on weekdays. A volunteer with a strong interest or experience in the dental profession is preferred. Must be willing to stay "on-board" with the Museum for at least two semesters.

Dental Research Specialist. Works with the museum staff on an ad hoc basis to research specific dentistry artifacts or historical topics for exhibits and collections. Must have a strong research skills and the interest or experience related to the research topic, person or thing. Also must be effectively able to document research findings for museum related purposes including museum research summaries, exhibits texts, etc. Two semester commitment required.

Short-term positions:

Museum Collection Specialist. Works with the Collection Coordinator to inventory and enter artifacts into the museums’ database system.  Must be detailed oriented and familiarity with FileMaker Pro system is a plus. This would be a suitable project for a graduate student with a strong interest in working in the museum field. Prior experience working with museum collections is preferred.

Museum Visitor Evaluator. Under the guidance of the Curator, tally and document visitor movement within the Museum so the Museum may learn more about visitor preferences.  Must commit to at least one month, but times may be arranged to be mutually suitable.

For more information, please contact Shannon O'Dell, Curator