Volunteer

Recruitment for the fall 2023 docent training class is now closed, but please check back for future volunteer opportunities.

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Volunteer Gallery Cart Docent Program at the North Carolina Museum of History

The museum’s volunteer docents are a lively group of history lovers who primarily engage museum visitors with a variety of discovery carts located throughout exhibit galleries. The discovery carts allow docents to engage visitors with hands-on objects related to current exhibitions. Thousands of visitors from near and far benefit from docent-led activities each year, and these interactions foster connections with North Carolina’s history in insightful and meaningful ways.

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A docent’s first duty is to serve visitors by…

  • interpreting the museum’s collections
  • communicating directly with visitors, including the general public, students, groups, and people with diverse learning styles and abilities
  • maintaining an attitude of respect toward all visitors regardless of race, sex, age, national origin, or physical ability

All docents must…

  • pass an interview to be accepted into the training program
  • have a valid email address
  • attend a five-month docent training program that consists of a combination of group workshops, online modules, and individualized training. This program will require an average of three to five hours per week.
  • pass evaluations on interpretation of three gallery carts (docents’ choice) at the end of training; passing these interpretations is necessary before docents will be scheduled for shifts in galleries
  • commit to at least eight hours of service per month (cart interpretation shifts are usually about two hours long) after training
  • accept periodic evaluations by the docent coordinator or assistant docent coordinator
  • function at all times within guidelines and procedures of the North Carolina Museum of History

  • digital copies of The Old North State Volunteer, a monthly newsletter published by the Museum of History for all members of the volunteer corps
  • invitations to monthly meetings that provide opportunities for continuing training, hearing guest speakers, and socializing with other docents and volunteers
  • opportunities to take part in excursions to historic and cultural sites in North Carolina, as well as occasional movie nights at the museum and an annual holiday potluck
  • invitation to an annual awards ceremony that recognizes service and dedication

In addition, volunteers who complete 25 service hours per year maintain active status, for which they receive an in-kind membership to the Museum of History Associates, the museum membership group.

Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Kathy Gleditsch at Kathleen.Gleditsch@dncr.nc.gov if you are interested in finding out more about the application process to our docent program and when we will be recruiting.