Volunteer Opportunities
There are many opportunities to volunteer and learn with the LSU Rural Life Museum. We offer positions that are mutually beneficial to the museum and the volunteer. To learn more, please call 225-765-2437 or email rlm@lsu.edu. For email, please include the area you are interested in volunteering within the subject line.
Skilled Artisan
Volunteer as an artisan who demonstrates living history at our special events, Harvest Days, A Rural Life Christmas and the Rural Life Apprentice Program.
Docent/Interpreter
Receive training to give tours to school groups on field trips or adult groups (national and international) visiting the museum. The museum gets visitors from around the world, so in addition to English speaking docents we also need docents who are fluent in French, German, Spanish or Italian. Please contact the museum for more information about the next available docent training session.
Special Events
Lend a hand at special events like Zapp’s International Beerfest, Harvest Days and A Rural Life Christmas.
Historic Crafts/Maintenance
Assist with behind-the-scene restorations and reproductions. Previous experience necessary.
Gardeners
Plant, maintain and harvest gardens in the historic areas.
Junior Docent
The Rural Life Museum is one of a handful of Louisiana museums with an organized junior docent program. Begun in 1998, the Junior Docent program is open to students in the sixth through twelfth grades. Through monthly meetings, events, and field trips, junior docents are offered diverse opportunities to learn about nineteenth century lifeways, and to share this knowledge with others. Junior Docents volunteer at the museum throughout the year. They provide valuable assistance to staff and artisans during the museum’s interpretive events, which are Harvest Days, A Rural Life Christmas, and the Rural Life Apprentice Program.
Corporate Volunteer Opportunities
The LSU Rural Life Museum is always in need of volunteers and Corporate Volunteers are the best! Supporting companies often offer volunteer opportunities to their employees and some companies volunteer as a group or department for team-building and as a way of giving back to the community. By request, we can make a special presentation on your company premises to explain these opportunities to your employees. Please consider joining our corporate volunteer team.