Geoscience Australia is the custodian of national geoscience collections including gemstones, minerals, fossils, meteorites and thin section slides that have been collected over many decades.

Associated with these collections are a large number of records in various forms including hardcopy registers, photos, notebooks and card catalogues. These collections require ongoing cataloguing and maintenance to ensure that they are preserved for future generations.

This involves working with the physical collection specimens as well as associated records.

We are seeking an enthusiastic person/s with an interest in working with geoscience collections and associated information to join our team. You will have the opportunity to contribute to the work of the team which may include: • Registering museum items (minerals specimens, thin sections) and updating databases; • Compiling and recording location information for specimens in the collection; • Cataloguing thin section microscope slides and updating associated records; • Populating and updating databases and establishing links between collection items; • Transcription of digitised collection records; • Photographing specimens and contributing to digital exhibits; • Repairing, labelling and preparing specimens for display or storage; • Work associated with mineralogy, gemmology and petrography; and • Working with the team to organise events and outreach activities.

To get the most out of the opportunity successful volunteers will need to have or be able to develop skills such as: • Being able to work collaboratively as part of a team; • Being able to work with computerised systems such as office applications and databases; • Being able to work safely both in an office environment as well as physical collection rooms; • Having attention to detail with repetitive tasks such as cataloguing and data entry; and • Being able to develop specialised skills in areas such as museum curation, geology, palaeontology, gemmology, mineralogy and petrology.

Volunteers will be supported to develop skills in their areas of interest and will have an opportunity to work with national geoscience collections. Volunteers will be provided with training as required.