There are many ways you can help make a difference!
Support our children’s learning and discovery by joining the Monty’s Messengers team.
Looking for something quieter? Help digitally catalogue heritage documents, photographs, and ephemera in our air-conditioned Archive room.
Interested in objects, exhibit development, or serving as a docent? Are you a wiz with web design or social media posting? The National Museum of Montserrat (located in Little Bay) would love to hear from you.
Retired Archivist/Curator
The Montserrat National Trust is a 46-year-old NGO whose mission statement includes responsibility for the preservation of the cultural, historic and archaeological heritage of the Island. The MNT collects material in all formats that record the history of the island and its people. Following the successful launch of a cataloguing and digitisation project in 2015, the MNT is now looking for a volunteer archivist/curator to take this work forward.
Located initially in Plymouth (The Lost City), the Trust is now in Olveston, the residential area at the Centre of the Island. The archivist/curator will work primarily at the Trust’s headquarters in Olveston, but will also spend some time at the Museum site in Little Bay. The post will have responsibility for working with the full range of historic documents and artefacts, for cataloging and digitisation, training staff and volunteers, creating outreach projects and providing information and access for researchers and the public.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone with an appropriate postgraduate qualification and extensive experience of working with special collections.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work with artefacts and documents from the earliest period of settlement of the island, including archaeological artefacts from the period of the amerindian settlers, information on Montserrat’s slave registry, up to the present day. There will be the opportunity to learn about the slave trade and the emancipation of an atypical island with connections to neighboring islands, the United Kingdom and Europe. The Trust also holds extensive records on the eruption of the volcano, 1995-2011, and the social history of the island.
Working with us at least two days a week, the appointment is for 6 months (with the possibility of a further six months) as a voluntary worker. Assistance can be given with accommodation.
Responsibilities:
- Planning and managing the work required to preserve the historic collections of the Trust
- Planning and managing the cataloguing and digitising of documents and artefacts
- Training staff and volunteers
- Replying to requests for information by email, phone or visit
- Managing projects to engage the community in the heritage work of the Trust
Professional Skills and Experience:
- Experience of working with museum/archive/library cataloguing software, ideally PastPerfect
- Computer skills including word, outlook, the creation, storage and manipulation of digital images
- Experience of managing staff and volunteers
- Knowledge and experience of handling fragile papers, documents and artefacts
- Experience of managing a range of tasks and delivering to deadlines
Requirements & Commitment
- Postgraduate qualification in a heritage subject, as archivist or curator
- Substantial experience of managing a specialist collection
- Demonstrable experience of managing a cataloguing and digitisation project
- Ability to work with a wide cross section of the community including the elderly
- Willingness to learn about the history of Montserrat and its people
The Montserrat National Trust offers a unique opportunity for those wanting to use their expertise and experience for the benefit of one of the most important projects of the Trust, and to learn about a unique island, its cultural and social history .
The volunteer will experience an authentic and unique environment where the sun shines every day, and will find a friendly population on a quiet and safe island. We invite you to visit the island website here.
Contact us:
Montserrat National Trust (Olveston)
Tel: 664 491 3086
Fax: 664 491 3046
Email: info@montserratnationaltrust.ms
National Museum of Montserrat (Little Bay)
Tel: 664 491 3036
Email: museum@montserratnationaltrust.ms