When visiting a museum sometimes you will be able to attend a talk or tour of a particular part of the museum. A guide will tell you interesting stories and facts behind the objects within the museum and can answer questions the public may have.

A tour guide provides visitors with an alternative way to learn about the collection.  

They can also add extra information not found in the exhibition text, and answer particular questions that people on the tour might have.

Visitor Assistants

Visitor Assistants are slightly different from tour guides. During a shift, a visitor assistant may spend time in different areas of the museum. They are there to help visitors with any enquiries, from practical questions such as the location of the toilets, to answering questions about the objects on display. They also make sure that the visitors adhere to any rules, such as staying behind ropes or not touching fragile objects.

Visitor assistants are often the museum staff that the public come into contact with most, and as such it is a very important role.