Adult Volunteer Opportunities

The Johnson County Museum of History would not function without The museum could not function without its amazing volunteers!  The following are some examples of volunteer opportunities with the museum:

Genealogy

The Johnson County Museum houses one of the best Genealogy Libraries in Indiana and has many research requests from all over the country.  Are you an avid Genealogist?  Do you like to archive and index items?  The Genealogy Library needs help researching genealogy request, indexing records and archiving items. We have an immediate need for volunteers who can cover one Saturday shift per month. 

Curatorial or Collections

Do you have museum experience or an interest in working with our collections?  Do you have a love for historic fashions?  You can become a Curatorial volunteer and help organize and care for our museum collections.

Programs

The museum host over 10 programs a year including our annual Christmas festivities and Fall Festival activities.  We are always in need of extra hands to help serve refreshments, guide visitors, set-up and clean up and even demonstrate old fashion toys and other collection replicas.

Educational Tours and Activities

The Johnson County Museum provides tours for over 1,000 school age children each year.  With our limited staff, this task can be overwhelming.  We are in need of energetic people to help guide our school tours through the museum’s exhibits and log cabin.  Are you a retired teacher who wants to help?  The museum is looking for former and current educators to help prepare educational materials, activities and programming. 

A Helping Hand

If you are interested in just lending a hand when needed, we often need help moving large artifacts and display cases, as well as setting up tables and chairs for programs. 

 Volunteer Enrollment Form

 Volunteer FAQ

College Internships

If you are studying history, museum studies, library science or marketing, or are just interested in a unique internship experience, the Johnson County Museum may be the place for you.  The following are some of the areas where you may gain internship experience at the museum:

Archival

If you have every thought about earning an IMLS degree or working with an archive collection, our museum has a large collection of paper and book resources.  Many of these items are in need of proper storage and cleaning techniques as well as reorganization and indexing.

Conservation

We are a smaller museum and our conservation equipment and techniques are limited to space and safety constraints.  Even with these limits, our museum can provide several opportunities in conservation techniques, including cleaning of artifacts (paper, books, and three dimensional) and proper preservation techniques for museum collections.

Exhibit Development and Installation

Whether you are an art student, History major, or thinking about a museum career, exhibit design, development and installation are all part of the museum experience.  Our museum has several opportunities for students to express their creativity and to help install a new phase of exhibits.  Also great experience if you are thinking about being a curator.

Genealogy Library

Our Genealogy Library has a wonderful collection of books and paper resources such as abstracts, deeds, and marriage and death records.  Working with this collection can provide valuable knowledge about Johnson County history and the past occupants of Johnson County.  The library also provides experience in indexing, cataloging and researching of library materials.

Collections Management

Part of our large collection has been recorded in a museum database, but we are currently trying to update our database by entering the rest of the collection.  This duty not only provides excellent experience in data entry, but also teaches museum nomenclature and proper numbering techniques.

Public Relations/Program Development

The Johnson County Museum hosts a wide range of programs, special events, and exhibits each year.  Each of these events must be advertised to the general public.  A public relations intern will help develop press releases, flyers, program schedules, website development, social networking and other related tasks.