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Volunteers are needed to help develop a digital media project at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.

Derbyshire County Council are looking for pioneering individuals, groups and organisations to test out a new approach to sharing access to the museum’s exhibits and artefacts.

The project, called ‘Collections in the Landscape’, is being funded with an £81,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and will enable visitors to walk in the footsteps of archaeologists and geologists to view artefacts in places where they were either made or found.

As visitors stand next to archaeological sites and famous landmarks they will be prompted to use their smart phones or tablets to download extra information such as images of what people in previous centuries would have seen when they visited.

Pilot projects will focus on three areas − Dovedale, Arbor Low stone circle and the town of Buxton itself. Users will be able to interact with these landscapes in exciting new ways such as exploring Arbor Low to see what ancient stone tools were buried below the earth, strolling through Dovedale using the museum’s fossils to reconstruct a shallow sea floor from 350 million years ago or standing in the centre of Buxton to see what traces generations of visitors have left behind – from the Romans to the Beatles.

Now ‘collections ambassadors’ are needed to help the museum test and develop the technology as well as share news in their local communities.

Councillor Ellie Wilcox, our Deputy Cabinet Member for Health and Communities said:

“We need local volunteers to help make this exciting project happen. This is a truly unique opportunity to be part of something that will transform the way collections at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery are displayed and experienced.”

Volunteers will be involved in the pilot stage 1 of the project. The results will form part of a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund in May 2014 for an additional £449,000 to fund the project for another three years.

Ellie Wilcox added:

“Although we’re exploring the potential of digital technology, this project will still be rooted in people power. The knowledge and support of the local community will be a key factor in taking the concept of Collections in the Landscape forward.”

As part of the project the museum is also conducting an online visitor survey.

To take part in the survey or to volunteer as a collections ambassador visit http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/buxtonmuseum (opens in a new window) email citl@derbyshire.gov.uk or call 01629 533540.