Museum Media Inventory Volunteer - Death Valley

Save to Favorites

Candidates with experience in a museum, library, or archives setting are preferred.

This is an excellent opportunity for a college student who would like to gain experience in museum collections management, or a retiree who would like to experience a unique national park while contributing to the preservation of Death Valley’s history.

Location:

Death Valley National Park is considered one of the hottest, driest, and lowest geographical places in the country! It is the largest national park in the lower 48 states and holds the official title of "Hottest Place on Earth". Summer daytime temperatures range between 115 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Average low temperatures sometimes do not get below 100 degrees at night.

Fortunately, volunteer work for this position is mostly indoors, in a climate-controlled facility in the Cow Creek area. Cow Creek is located 3 miles West of the Furnace Creek area in Death Valley. Furnace Creek has limited amenities: a few restaurants, small convenience store, gas station, post office, pool, and golf course. The closest full sized grocery store, pharmacy, and medical services is located 65 miles away in Pahrump, NV.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Complete inventory of all physical magnetic and digital media in the park's museum collection and library
• Cross reference inventory with digitized collections and identify physical media that has not yet been digitized.
• Assist museum staff with general museum housekeeping tasks, such as artifact, exhibit, and collections storage cleaning; integrated pest management; and environmental monitoring.
• Catalog museum objects, including natural history specimens and cultural history artifacts, as time allows.

Requirements of the position:

• Must be able to sit and stand for long periods of time in a climate-controlled space
• Must be able to lift at least 25 pounds.
• Must be able to squat, bend over, and climb ladders.
• Must have excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Must be familiar with basic Microsoft Office programs, especially Excel and Word.
• Will require a federal background check.

Time Commitment:

The position can begin anytime between late April to late June 2025 but must end in late September 2025. Volunteer will work 32 hours/week for approximately 10 weeks. Workdays will be Monday through Thursday, between the hours of 7AM and 5:30PM to coincide with the Curator and museum staff schedules.

Benefits:

A single-occupancy room in a dorm or shared house (with full kitchen and shared bathroom) is provided at no cost to the volunteer. The volunteer will also have free access to park staff amenities (gym, library, and pool) and may enjoy reduced prices at hotel buffet. Volunteers who work 250 hours or more qualify for a free Interagency America the Beautiful Annual Pass.

Start Date - 2025-04-30

End Date - 2025-09-30