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Volunteer

The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum is looking for members of the community to join our Docent and Volunteer Programs. To learn more, or to inquire about volunteer opportunities not listed below, please contact Abiola Akintola at 410-216-6181 or at olufikayo.akintola@maryland.gov.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

BDTM Docent Program

Docents provide interactive education through tours and public programming. We are looking for individuals, ages 14 and older, who would like to get involved with community education by providing school tours, assisting with special programming and events for schools and the general public, and assisting with our daily free tours.

The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum will provide training for all docent positions. Training sessions are held in the spring and fall over a series of four Saturdays for 2-3 hours each. Docents are expected to attend all training sessions. Docents will learn about the museum facilities and exhibit materials including interactive training for tour guides. No experience is necessary.

Docent Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Docent/Tour Guide

Description of Duties:

      • Provide interactive tours to the general public and school groups
      • Provide interpretation of the museum’s wealth of exhibits and information

Qualifications:

      • Must be at least 14 years of age
      • Good communication skills
      • An interest in history

Availability:

      • 6 hours per month minimum plus training sessions

Program Assistant

Description of Duties:

      • Assist with planning and providing public programs at the museum and locations throughout Maryland during the year

Qualifications:

      • Must be at least 15 years of age
      • Good communication skills
      • An interest in history

Availability:

      • 3 hours per month minimum

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Volunteer Opportunities

If you are not comfortable speaking in front of groups or you would like to work behind the scenes at the museum, we have the following volunteer positions available:

      • Library Assistant: Help keep our holdings organized and accessible with such projects as updating the catalog, maintaining the vertical file, or digitizing delicate materials.
      • Archives Assistant: Help to preserve and improve access to historical documents & photographs by creating descriptive inventories of selected collections.
      • Curatorial Assistant: Assist with researching and cataloging objects in the BDTM museum collection and potential donations to the collection. Work involves photographing objects and creating digitized images for collection database.
      • Marketing & Communications Assistant: Assist with social media efforts, graphics and photography needs, and tracking communications of BDTM in the media.
      • Office Work Assistant: Provide clerical assistance within the BDTM. Work involves organizing, filing, data entry, and mailing list database management.
      • Volunteer from Home: Send us newspaper & magazine clippings by and about Maryland’s African American history and culture.

Volunteer Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

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Benefits of Volunteering

    • Hands-on training and experience working in a museum environment
    • Developing communication skills
    • Exposure to a wide variety of historical and cultural events and materials
    • Networking opportunities with curators, educators, community members, historians, and artists

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