Adults

The Community Outreach Service provides free workshops and programmes for adult community groups, adult learners and family learning groups.

These sessions involve handling real museum specimens, as well as a range of other hands-on activities. The sessions are delivered at your own venue and can be tailored to meet the needs of your group.

We can also provide workshops and guided tours at each of the Oxford University Museums.

For more details, see: Community Outreach at the University Museums.

If you think your group would benefit from this free service, please contact us on outreach@museums.ox.ac.uk or telephone 01865 282 456.

The seven million specimens within the Museum’s collections are extensively used for research and teaching within the University of Oxford and other higher education institutions. For more information see our Higher Education page.

Oxfordshire has a rich variety of local wildlife and conservation groups that offer all sorts of opportunities to find out more about local wildlife. The Museum works in partnership with many of these groups. If you are interested in arranging a special interest group visit to the Museum please contact education@oum.ox.ac.uk or 01865 282 451.

Local natural history and wildlife
The Ashmolean Natural History Society
Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust
Bedfordshire Natural History Society
The Earth Trust
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Oxfordshire Nature Conservancy Forum
Oxford Urban Wildlife Group
Shotover Wildlife
Thames Valley Environmental records Centre

Insects and other invertebrates
The Amateur Entomologists' Society
Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society
British Arachnological Society
British Entomological and Natural History Society
British Dragonfly Society
Butterfly Conservation
The Coleopterists Society
The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
UK Ladybird Survey
British Myriapod and Isopod Group

Geology and earth sciences
Berkshire Geoconservation Group
Bedfordshire Geology Group
The Black Country Geological Society
Oxford Geology Group
Oxfordshire Geology Trust
The Russell Society
Wiltshire Geology Group

Mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds
Bat Conservation Trust
Hawk and Owl Trust
The Mammal Society
Oxford Ornithological Society
Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Plants
Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre
Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum
Plantlife
Sylva Foundation

The Museum has over 200 active volunteers helping behind the scenes and as part of our public events programme. 

See our volunteering page for further information on how to help at the University's many museums.