RCN calls for volunteers for exhibition
The Royal College of Nursing is calling on RCN members to get involved in its latest exhibition project.
The RCN Library and Archive Service holds two public exhibition and event series every year. Each is themed around a particular aspect of nursing or history: past exhibitions have included the history of mental health care, children's nursing, learning disability nursing, women’s health, the First World War and pandemics.
Each exhibition runs for six months in London followed by six months in Edinburgh and is accompanied by an online exhibition and a series of themed events (virtual and in-person). In 2024, the RCN will be holding an exhibition on nursing support workers.
It is looking for RCN members to get involved as volunteers throughout the project. This is a chance to research nursing history, learn new skills, do something a bit different and work with a small, enthusiastic team of staff and other volunteers.
Volunteers in the Exhibitions and Events team, will receive training in research, handling and interpretation of historic material for a general audience.
They will work directly with the RCN’s unique collections and explore collections elsewhere. Staff will be on-hand throughout to support.
Some tasks can only be carried out onsite. Other tasks – like research and text-writing – can be done anywhere in the UK.
Volunteers will get the opportunity to:
Research the history of nursing support workers
Contribute to design ideas, interpretation and text-writing for a public audience
Help to decide which objects will tell the story of nursing support workers
Help to plan and deliver events and workshops.
They will also get the chance to learn new skills through a series of training sessions in object handling, research and exhibition text writing and will:
See their work in an exhibition that will be visited by fellow RCN members and the wider public both in-person and online
Onsite access to the RCN Library collections including research resources like Ancestry UK
An invitation to the exhibition launch to celebrate the results of the project.
Ideally, volunteers will be able to give approximately a day a fortnight to the project over a period of six to nine months, starting in October 2023.
If you’re interested, get in touch with the RCN Library and Archive Service on rcn.library@rcn.org.uk by September 17, 2023. Please let the RCN know your name, membership number and why you’re interested in volunteering.