Volunteer

Department: Education
Reports to: Jennifer Carroll, Director of Education

Title:  Collections Assistant

Background: The Historical Society of Cheshire County has over 300,000 items in its permanent collections.  A large portion of the collection include historic objects preserved at the Society as artifacts.

Volunteer Objective:  Seeking 1-2 volunteers who have availability between 10am and 3pm on Thursdays.  Volunteer will work with Society staff and volunteers to inventory the collection, measure artifacts, note the condition of artifacts, create informative descriptions of artifacts, and photograph them.  This work will be added into the Society’s database PastPerfect and made available to the public via the New Hampshire Historical Society’s website NH History Network.   Volunteers may be asked to conduct research related to specific artifacts in the collection using the Society’s archives and library materials.

Skills Desired: Volunteer needs to have an attention to detail, have reading and writing skills, and organizational skills.  Knowledge of PastPerfect or databases is not necessary but is a plus.  S/he must be comfortable with lifting, standing, climbing stairs, and temperature fluctuations.

If you are interested in assisting the Education Department with this project, please complete our 2018 Volunteer Application and contact:

Jennifer Carroll
Director of Education
Historical Society of Cheshire County
246 Main Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03431
603/352-1895
dired@hsccnh.org

Department: Exhibitions
Reports to: Alan Rumrill, Executive Director

Title:  Research Assistant

Background: The Historical Society of Cheshire County researches, designs and installs two-three exhibitions per year on a variety of topics from history to art and music to the environment.

Volunteer Objective:  Seeking 1-2 volunteers who have availability one day a week for about four hours.  Volunteer will work with Society staff and volunteers to research upcoming exhibit themes, select artifacts and historic photographs to include, design and install the exhibit, work on marketing strategies, and develop educational programming ideas for youth and adults that tie into the exhibit theme.  Volunteers may be asked to conduct research using the Society’s archives and library materials or to work from home.

Skills Desired: Volunteer needs to have an attention to detail, have reading and writing skills, and organizational skills.  Knowledge of PastPerfect or databases is not necessary but is a plus.  S/he must be comfortable with lifting, standing, climbing stairs, and temperature fluctuations.

If you are interested in assisting the Society with this project, please complete our 2018 volunteer application and contact:

Jennifer Carroll
Director of Education
Historical Society of Cheshire County
246 Main Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03431
603/352-1895
dired@hsccnh.org

Department: Main Office
Reports to: Kathy Schillemant

Title:  Front Desk Help

Background: The Historical Society of Cheshire County collects, preserves, and communicates the history of 23 towns in Cheshire County.  As a year-round operation, the Society coordinates over 150 educational programs a year, showcases changing exhibits, publishes books, and assists people with their genealogy and historical research.  

Volunteer Objective:  Assist the main office with by covering the front desk.  Volunteer will be taught how to answer and forward phone calls, direct patrons in the research library, and complete other adminstrative tasks.

Time Requirements:  Volunteers can sign up for one day per week or more.  Volunteers are needed from 11am-2pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as well as the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month.

Skills Desired: As a front-line volunteer, s/he should have great people skills to greet and serve the public.  Volunteer needs to have an attention to detail, have reading and writing skills, and organizational skills.  A working knowledge of Microsoft Office or Google Docs is a plus.

If you are interested in assisting the Adminstrative Office, please complete our volunteer application and contact:

Kathy Schillemat
Adminstrative Assistant
Historical Society of Cheshire County
246 Main Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03431
603/352-1895
hscc@hsccnh.org

Department: Wright Reading Room
Reports to: Alan Rumrill, Executive Director

Title:  Genealogist

Background: The Historical Society of Cheshire County collects, preserves, and communicates the history of 23 towns in Cheshire County.  As a year-round operation, the Society coordinates over 150 educational programs a year, showcases changing exhibits, publishes books, and assists people with their genealogy and historical research.  

Volunteer Objective:  Seeking 1-2 volunteers who have availability one day a week for 3 hours.  Volunteer will get trained by Society staff and volunteers to assist patrons with genealogy research and local history research.  

Time Requirement:  Volunteers must commit to a regular schedule, agreeing to work at least one day a week for 3 hours, so the Society can advertise that time to the public.  Days available are Wednesdays 1-4 or 5-8, Thursdays 1-4, Fridays 1-4, or the 1st or 3rd Saturday of the month 10am-12pm.  

Skills Desired: As a front-line volunteer, s/he should have great people skills to greet and serve the public.  Volunteer needs to have an attention to detail, organizational skills, and a working knowledge of Ancestry.com.  Knowledge of PastPerfect or databases is not necessary but is a plus.  

If you are interested in assisting the Society with this project, please complete our volunteer application and contact:

Kathy Schillemat
Administrative Assistant
Historical Society of Cheshire County
246 Main Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03431
603/352-1895
dired@hsccnh.org