- Visit
- Location and Directions
- Information Desk
- Calendar of Events
- Museum Tours & Itineraries
- Museum Highlights
- Virtual Tours
- What Our Visitors Are Saying
- Museum Store
- Accessibility
- ALERTS from the Office of Protection Services
FACTS
Open every day
(except December 25)10:00 am to 5:30 pm
Admission is always free!
Street Address:
National Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: (202) 633-5555MAP
- Collections
- Collection Database
- Collection History
- Collection Plan
- Collection Projects
- Collection Internships
- Object Donations
- Object Loans
- Object Spotlight
- Photographic Archives
- Preservation
The national collection illustrates and invites research into United States philately and postal operations. It contains prestigious postal issues and specialized collections, archival postal documents and three-dimensional objects that trace the evolution of the postal services.
- Exhibits
The National Postal Museum is divided into galleries that explore America's postal history from colonial times to the present. Visitors learn how mail has been transported and the wondrous diversity of postage stamps.
- Research
- Museum Library
- Forensic Laboratory
- Appointments to Research Objects
- Maynard Sundman Lecture Series
- Symposiums and Lectures
- Research Funding
- Finding Guides
- Research Articles
- Topical Reference Pages
- External Research Links
The Museum supports a wide variety of interdisciplinary research projects which address topics of importance such as current and future postal operations, as well as philatelic and postal history. Our efforts are a resource and point of reference for research and wider investigation by historians throughout the United States and the world.
Volunteering at the National Postal Museum
Volunteers are the backbone of the National Postal Museum, connecting visitors to the museum and its content! We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities based on your interest and skills.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
See full volunteer project descriptions and requirements here!
TO APPLY
Interested in joining the Postal Museum Volunteer Team? Please send resume and cover letter to Maggie Sigle, the Volunteer Coordinator, at siglem@si.edu.
VOLUNTEER BENEFITS
In exchange for your valuable contribution of time and expertise you will receive:
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20% discount at all Smithsonian Shops
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10% discount on items at the National Gallery of Art and the Kennedy Center shops
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Behind-the-scenes access to the Museum
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Invitations to special programs and events
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Highlights Tour
Highlights Tour Volunteers lead engaging 45-minute guided tours through the museum's galleries. Volunteers tell a unique narrative of postal history and stamp collecting through exhibitions, objects and props. Highlights tours are offered at twice daily at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.
If you are a great storyteller, this is the position for you!
Welcome Desk
Welcome Desk Volunteers greet and orient visitors as they enter the museum. Volunteers provide information about the Postal Museum, as well as maintain hand-outs at the desk and in the galleries. The Welcome Desk is open daily from 10am-5:30pm.
If you love helping people, this is the position for you!
Gallery Experience
Gallery Experience Volunteers work independently or in pairs to provide opportunities for short, visitor-driven interactions based on particular objects, activities or stories. Gallery Experiences happen daily on the floor of the museum as well as at Family Day public programs.
If you love meeting new people and need a flexible schedule, this is the position for you!
School Tour
School Tour Volunteers guide K-3 students through interactive field trips. Volunteers use museum objects and educational collections to introduce new approaches to understanding school topics. School tours are offered Tuesday through Friday in the morning.
If you have classroom experience and love working with children, this is the position for you!
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes Volunteers help out on internal projects in the museum’s Development, Collections, Curatorial, and Education departments. Some opportunities allow Volunteers to dedicate their time to the museum remotely.
If you have administrative and organizational skills, this is the position for you!
