Volunteer | Strathcona County Museum & Archives

Become a Volunteer

Why volunteer at Strathma?

Hands-On Experience: Work directly with artifacts, specimens, and archival documents.
Skill Development: Acquire cataloging, artifact handling, and database management skills.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with professionals in the field for career advancement.
Contribution to Community: Preserve and maintain cultural heritage, giving back to the community.
Educational Opportunities: Valuable and applicable museum and archives training.
Career Exploration: Explore a potential career in museums, archives, or cultural institutions.
Personal Growth: Develop problem-solving skills and confidence through diverse challenges.
Cultural Appreciation: Deepen appreciation for history, and cultural preservation.
Flexible Commitment: Accommodate volunteering around work or study schedules.

Education & Engagement

As part of the Education & Engagement team, you’ll play a crucial role in sharing the history of Strathcona County through hands-on programs, activities, and special events. We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities within this team:

Engagement Assistant

We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to join our team as onsite Engagement Assistants. Responsibilities include:

Public Engagement: Greeting and engaging with museum visitors, recording visitor statistics and demographic surveys, and giving brief museum introductions.
Administrative: Assisting with light administrative duties (if interested).
Educational Programming: Helping to execute special educational programming.
Marketing: Assisting the team with social media content development (if interested).

This primarily public-facing role is ideal for anyone wishing to gain valuable experience in museum programming and community engagement. It is also a great way to meet new people and contribute to our vibrant cultural community.

Commitment: We ask that interested volunteers be able to contribute a minimum of two shifts per month.

Special Events and Outreach Volunteer Pool

Offsite: Volunteers will join us during various events around the county to support staff in delivering off-site programming. Responsibilities may include assisting in the delivery of on-site programs, supporting off-site exhibit displays at Farmers’ Markets and community events, delivering outdoor Strathma Explorers programs, and interacting with the public.

Onsite: Strathma hosts a variety of onsite events throughout the year. Volunteers can sign up for events as they become available, with further details provided as event sign-up opens. Roles may include public-facing and behind-the-scenes tasks such as helping with set-up/take-down of events, checking in or supervising guests, bartending, and more.

Events include: Ardrossan Parade, Canada Day, Trail Days, Alberta Farm Days, Sherwood Park Highland Gathering, Playdays, Spooky (our annual Halloween party), and more.

Commitment: This is a casual role, perfect for those who cannot commit to a regular volunteer schedule but still want to be involved.

Want to join the Education & Engagement team? Once they are available, applications will be posted here.

Requirements:

Open to ages 14 and up (if under 18, parental consent required)
Volunteers 18 and above must provide a Criminal Record Check (free with a letter from us)
Must be able to get to and from event/ program locations independently

Off-site events will be offered at a variety of locations. These may include, but are not limited to: the Strathcona County Community Centre, Emerald Hills (Canadian Tire parking lot), Broadmoor Lake Park, South Cooking Lake Community Hall, and Ardrossan Memorial Hall.

Collections & Archives

As a Volunteer Collections and Archives Assistant in our Collections Department, you'll be instrumental in maintaining, preserving, and showcasing the Museum's fascinating artifact and archive collections.

Responsibilities may include, but are not restricted to: transcribing oral histories; scanning and digitizing archival materials; aiding in the proper maintenance, handling, and storage of artifacts; conducting artifact photography; and engaging in artifact research and cataloging.

The Collections Department is currently accepting new volunteers for the following role:

Collections Researcher

We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to join our team as a Collections Researcher to conduct research on artifacts in the collection to help us learn what an object is, where it came from, its history of use, etc.

Responsibilities include:

Collection Research: Investigating objects, artifacts, or archival materials to provide context, provenance, and historical significance.
Cataloging & Documentation: Assisting in updating or creating records in the museum's database, ensuring accurate descriptions and metadata.
Exhibition Development: Supporting curators in researching themes, artifacts, or narratives for upcoming exhibitions.
Report Writing: Compiling research findings into reports, articles, or presentations for museum staff and the public.

This role is ideal for anyone wishing to gain valuable experience working with museum and archives collections. The Volunteer Should have strong research and analytical skills, familiarity with academic sources, archives, and databases, and attention to detail and experience with documentation. This role will be have brief training on artifact handling but will mostly be done independently.

Commitment: We ask that interested volunteers be able to contribute a minimum of 3 hours per month.

Want to join the Collections & Archives team? Learn more and apply here.

Artifact Support Assistant

We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to join our team. As an Artifact Support Assistant in our Collections Department, you'll play a crucial role in preserving and protecting our museum’s artifacts by assisting with storage organization, artifact housing, and preventive conservation efforts.

Responsibilities include:

Storage Reorganization: Assisting in the re-organization of artifact storage spaces to improve accessibility and preservation.
Artifact Handling & Movement: Safely handling and relocating artifacts within storage areas following best museum practices.
Protective Housing: Creating garment bags, padding hangers, and constructing custom storage boxes to ensure proper artifact support.
Preventive Conservation: Implementing storage solutions that help protect artifacts from environmental and physical risks.

The volunteer should have an interest in museum collections and artifact care, strong attention to detail, and the ability to handle delicate objects safely. They will work directly with the Collections Assistant and receive training in artifact handling and care, though some tasks may be completed independently.

Commitment: We ask that interested volunteers be able to contribute 3-7 hrs per week. This is an ongoing role that occurs on Saturdays between 10:00am and 4:00pm.

Want to join the Collections & Archives team? Learn more and apply here.

Requirements:

Open to ages 16 and up
If under 18, parental consent required
Volunteers 18 and above need a free Criminal Record Check with a letter from us
Preference for long-term commitments
Ability to lift 50lbs is a plus
English language learners are welcome to apply

Shifts are available weekdays between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. A minimum commitment of 3 hrs per week. Saturday’s shifts are available on case per case basis.

Requirements:

Open to ages 18 and up
Volunteers need a Criminal Record Check, free with a letter from us
Preference for long-term Saturday commitments
Ability to lift 50lbs is a plus
English language learners are welcome to apply

Shifts are available between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. A minimum commitment of 3 hrs per week.

Board Members

Our local gem of a museum—STRATHMA—is looking for new board members!

Are you interested in local history and sharing cultural interpretation and interesting exhibits with our community and County visitors?

We are Strathcona County Heritage Foundation, the board operating Strathcona County Museum & Archives (Strathma). We are building a progressive and inclusive group with diverse interests to ensure Strathma’s future.

We are currently looking for candidates with these life or career experiences:

Education

Grant Writing

Positive attitudes towards volunteering!

Interested in becoming a Board Member team? Please email your resume to Deb Krahn.

Requirements:

Open to ages 18 and up
Volunteers need a free Criminal Record Check with a letter from us.
English language learners are welcome to apply