Experience in the Form of Volunteering

Posted February 10, 2025 by Erin Wood

The job market can be competitive, especially when you lack experience. It can feel impossible to get employers to even look at your resume, and it’s disheartening! However, volunteering with your local institutions can be an easy way to build up a resume and make connections. Most local libraries, archives, and historical societies are constantly looking for volunteers. Of course, we would all prefer to do paid work, but the perk of volunteering is that it allows you to get experience on your own time.

I recently started volunteering at the Danvers Historical Society, where upon hearing I was an archives management student, they were thrilled to give me some of their backlog to work through and send over to the town archives. I go in a couple days a week on my days off from work and get to sort through a ton of interesting materials. Danvers, like most towns and cities in Massachusetts, has a rich history, and it’s fascinating to see how things have changed over the years. It’s also shed some light into the world of working at small repositories like these. Staffing is kept to a minimum, and they often rely on the help of volunteers, so I think it’s great to take advantage of that. They really appreciate what help they can get, so even if you go in a couple of hours a week or even every couple of weeks, they will certainly be grateful.
Additionally, you will get to make some connections that could potentially lead to a job in the future.

Volunteering has also given me the opportunity to curate an exhibit at the Danvers Historical Society’s Museum. I am still in the early stages of working on it, but I have already pulled aside some materials that I find interesting, and I am really enjoying the process. It will also allow me to connect more with the community, as well as potential employers. Having grown up in Danvers, it feels extra special for me to reconnect with the place that raised me, and I am truly so thankful for this opportunity. I would never have gotten the chance to do something like this had I not decided to volunteer.