Museum Trainee: Natural History

Introductory information
The natural history trainee will have the opportunity to gain wide-ranging experience of Natural History curatorship working in a department which holds a large number of specimens (c. 1.2 million) and internationally significant collections.

Key areas of work
The natural history traineeship will support a full range of curatorial activities as well as a number of major projects across the service.
Three major on-going projects to which the trainee will contribute are: Norfolk’s Deep History Coast; Cromer Forest–bed Fossil Project and West Runton Mammoth display. This will include contributing to funding proposals and project outlines and project management

S/he will participate in a variety of public events such as, RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch; Heritage Open Days; Mammoths, Monsters and Minibeasts event.

The trainee will work with the county-wide Learning Team providing specimens and material for school and other visiting groups and have the opportunity to contribute directly to these.

S/he will work directly on the on-going rationalisation programme including the cased taxidermy bird collection and geology collections at the Norfolk Collections Centre, Gressenhall.

The natural history section has on-going collections management and documentation work to which the trainee will make a substantial contribution including updating records in MODES and creating new records from original accession registers. There will also be the opportunity to work on the project which is putting NMS collections online at www.norfolkmuseumscollections.org

Development opportunities
• All aspects of collections care; photography, storage, handling, documentation, specimen preparation (palaeontology, taxidermy, spirit preservation, entomology, botany) interpretation, display
• Practical training and experience in the conservation of natural history specimens including taxidermy conservation, spirit preserved collections care, fossil conservation, integrated pest management
• Partnership working with a range of external organisations and colleagues within NMS
• Presentation skills
• Recruiting and supervising volunteers
• Working directly with the public and audiences, answering enquiries
• Devising, developing and delivering events, talks and tours

Skills
In addition to the set of skills outlined in the job details an interest in natural history is essential and some natural sciences background an advantage.

Does this sound like you? If so you can find out more about this opportunity by attending a briefing session for potential applicants at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery on 11th or 12th December 2015.