Hi, I’m Erin! I am 14 and am participating in the bronze award for Duke of Edinburgh. This means for the past few months I have been volunteering at the museum and it has been amazing! I have had many new experiences and during this time I have participated in a number of tasks:
- I first learnt how to handle objects in the collection and then I began a project looking into different badges in the collection and what they were trying to promote. Using this information, I created a display case with badges of my choosing. I also wrote the captions for them and realised the amount of hard work that went into designing a display case to maximise interest and enjoyment.
- After this was accessioning. I learnt how to use ADLIB which is an incredibly useful website. I started to catalogue objects, writing about small details such as the material they were made of and if they had any obvious cracks. I also did this inside one of the museum’s accessioning registers. It had objects detailed back nearly fifty years which was fascinating to read.
- Finally, I moved onto the learning side of the museum. At first it did not occur to me that it was such a vital part of the museum, however it soon became a very enjoyable topic. I learnt about accessibility and the needs that viewers may have. I also learnt more about the redevelopment and accessories that you could include to make the museum feel as welcoming as possible.
Overall, I have truly loved every part of this incredible opportunity and I am so excited to see the museum after its redevelopment! I am so grateful for all of the people here as they were so welcoming and made it such a fun environment to be in.
Friends of Islington Museum 