Think you can be a museum guide? Join the Museum Volunteers

Volunteer opportunities abound at Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. If you have a little extra time on your hands, you can make a real difference with the Museum Volunteers team. Photo: The Star/Izzrafiq Alias

After the pandemic hiatus, museums in Malaysia are picking up momentum as they open their doors to visitors once again.

At Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, the Museum Volunteers free guided tours are back on track. They start at 10am on selected days, available in English, Japanese, Korean and French. Tours in other languages are available on request in advance, as with group tours.

How does a guide enrich the visitor experience at the museum?

Muzium Negara has four main exhibition galleries: Pre-history, Early Malay Kingdom, Colonial Era and The Malaysia Today.

This sounds pretty self-explanatory, but as any avid museum-goer will know, not all museums are created equal. And there are different ways you can immerse yourself in the exhibits and be inspired by the stories they tell.

“A visitor may wander about randomly, not realising the layout and only view the artefacts as individual objects. Rather than a casual walk, a guide helps the visitor to understand the displays and the artefacts better, since the guide can provide continuity, context and more interesting information.

A Museum Volunteers guide (in green) briefing a group of students outside Muzium Negara. Photo: Museum Volunteers JMM

“Our Museum Volunteers are continuously learning through their research and focus events so as to improve visitor experience beyond the written explanations in the museum. They are passionate about the museum and may stimulate deeper interest in various subjects. In this way, the visitor will find the visit meaningful and worth the while, as evidenced by the many favourable reviews we have received on Tripadvisor,” according to a statement from Museum Volunteers JMM.

If you have always wanted to be a guide, the Museum Volunteers team is looking for new faces to join them.

You should be 18 years old and above, and able to commit to being on museum guide duty once a month for a minimum of two years. All nationalities are welcome.

The training provided (in English, with a separate training programme for Japanese speakers) will cover the museum’s galleries, various aspects of Malaysian history, people and culture. It requires research on selected topics and honing your presentation skills.

“Training sessions usually run weekly, with a choice of Tuesday or Saturday mornings between September and December. After these four months, trainees are guided by their mentors until deemed ready to guide on their own. Most trainees need around three sessions with their mentors, before being qualified to guide,” adds the Museum Volunteers statement.

Officially launched in 2007, this is the first volunteer organisation at Muzium Negara. With an initial group of 20 individuals, the organisation has expanded to 160 members today, of which 87 are Malaysians.

“In addition to guiding, our volunteers are involved in other activities including research on topics of their interest, focus events, schools programme and library services,” it adds.

Since 2020, Museum Volunteers have published two annual digests titled Muzings, available here.

The public can also read research articles, blog entries and view sample Museum Volunteers tours on the website.

With hundreds of artefacts in each hall at Muzium Negara, the well-informed Museum Volunteers play an important in giving the masses an insightful visit. Photo: The Star/Filepic

When the museum was closed during the pandemic of the past two years, the team redirected its efforts to building its online presence.

“During this time, we provided and attended virtual conferences and found new collaborations and ideas, including out of town and international speakers for our focus events. Our Instagram account became active in June 2021 and it has helped us reach out to a younger audience. We expanded our experiences and resources through public outreach programmes like virtual talks and recorded presentations, such as a talk on Malaysian History to The New School in Rome in May 2020, and a talk on the Spice Trade to Year Five students of the British International School in Kuala Lumpur, in February this year. As we transition out of the pandemic, these activities will continue in hybrid form,” it adds.

Post-pandemic, Museum Volunteers will continue to build on their skills and virtual relationships for better public service.

“As Malaysians, we would like to see our heritage shared to a wider audience through translation of relevant materials. The lifting of travel restrictions have revived local interest in our National Museum which is a good way forward for the Museum Volunteers. We look forward to seeing the return of international visitors soon.”

Now that museum tours are back, do you have what it takes to be a museum guide?

“A museum guide needs to be truly interested in history and culture. Museum Volunteers are committed, lifelong learners who work well as part of a team. They must be dedicated and able to set aside time to fulfill their commitments. It goes without saying that communication skills are required too,” says the team.

Those interested can email [e-mail]. Alternatively, look out for their Coffee Morning introduction session dates on their social media accounts in May and August, where you will get to meet Volunteer Guides as well as ask them any questions you may have.

More info here.