Dawn,

We sometimes offer behind-the-scenes tours of our natural history collections and facilities, but they are always given by a curatorial staff member directly connected with the areas that are part of the tour.  Even though I have several long-term collection volunteers with more
than 10 years of association, I would not permit them to host such a tour.    Working with collections in limited ways is very different than fielding the kinds of questions one gets behind-the-scenes which can actually address philosophical issues of museum administration and law
which most volunteers are either not privy to or do not have the subject backgound to address.   Also, if these areas are so secure that we do not let researchers into them unescorted by professional staff, what message are we sending by having a group escorted by non-staff?
Because our storage areas are so densely packed and heavily used, the curators have an overall view of the use of the area....so we can keep people away from areas that are being overused on any particular day (or minute!).  Because most volunteers do not work 8 hours a day, 5 days
a week, they are not always up to date on what is going on NOR are they really accountable for their actions in the same way that staff are.

Shirley Albright
Bureau of Natural History
New Jersey State Museum

Dawn Scher Thomae wrote:

> This question is really directed toward medium-sized and larger
> institutions.
>
> Our museum is offering an increasing number of behind-the-scenes tours
> as prizes at auctions, for higher-level donors, new employee
> orientation, to cater to future facility rental clients, visiting
> dignitaries, etc.  Most of these tours last from one to two hours.
> There are currently two curators being asked to do these tours quite
> regularly.  I would like to propose to administration that a small group
> of long-term volunteers, maybe five, be trained to lead these tours to
> each department and then the staff in that department would give a five
> or ten minute introduction to that area. All requests would be filtered
> through the volunteer office and scheduled just like a docent-led tour
> in the exhibit halls.  (I know there are a few volunteers who would love
> the opportunity to lead special tours to the upper floors).
>
> What I would like to ask is this: Who does them in your
> museum/institution and how is it coordinated?  Any additional comments
> or suggestions on this topic appreciated.
>
> Dawn Scher Thomae
> Milwaukee Public Museum
>
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