ON-LINE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
For the benefit of others who have requested information, here are the relevant issues discussed so far in chronological order: Would be glad to hear if anyone has anything to add - opinions, experiences, etc
trish
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>I am researching the use of Web sites to attract/inform/impart skills to volunteers.
>Can anyone point me to some good on-line volunteer programs? Please respond either on thList >or directly to me.
>thanks
>trish < [log in to unmask] >

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From:  JEBerry
Sent:  Monday, 23 March 1998 23:52
To:  [log in to unmask]
Subject:  Re: Online Volunteers

Patricia,
Historic Crossroads Village Flint, MI is in the begining stages of a project
that has student volunteers working online to create Virtual Museum websites.
Students from two area school districts conduct research and develop web
presentations via email and attached digital images. They are in a sense
Virtual Docents to the Living History Programs we offer to the public.

These students are learning to use technology in a collaborative setting. They
are examining online documents for possible interpretive ideas for use by our
regular staff. We intend to recruit paid seasonal interpreters from this
informed group.  The institution is gaining insight into how young people view
the historical collections and programs. The websites they design will be
accessed by our school group visitors as a preview of what they can expect
during their field trips to the site.

Ideally, we see these virtual docents working with us through a web site
interface.  This 'docent office' would contain objects that when clicked on
would reveal information or allow the posting of messages. I have a website
under construction documenting the project (the pages are up and some of the
links but many of the ideas are still being tried out in the schools). You are
welcome to take a look now, but please check back later as we are learning
daily from the project. The student have not yet posted sites of their own.

For Virtual Docents:
http://members.aol.com/Vdocent/Vdocent.html

For Virtual Museums:
http://www.virtualmuseums.org

We feel that this can be a model for mentoring partnerships between cultural
institution and schools. Our project is the prototype for other collaborations
in our area that will also be sponsored by the technology center of our
intermediary school district. The experiences in the larger Virtual Museums
project will be posted on the vdocent site.

I'm looking forward to any feedback from the list.

Jim Berry
Historic Crossroads Village
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Jim
Thank you for your reply
The project you describe seems a very exciting and innovative use of a Web site beneficial for both volunteers and the museum and the collaborating schools. It's a first rate means for volunteers to gain experience as members of a meaningful project. I look forward to seeing what the students come up with.

I wonder if any other members of the list know or can suggest of other ways that volunteers can participate in on-line programs. Suggestions I have heard about that might translate into a volunteer program include enabling Web visitors to curate their own exhibitions (by using on-line collections)and submit them for publishing on the Web site. This is possibly a good way for museums to gain fresh perspectives and a valuable experience for participants.  It could take the form of a mentoring program whereby feedback is provided by the museum
trish
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From:  JEBerry
Sent:  Monday, 23 March 1998 23:52
Trish,
I believe that the concept of online volunteering is so new that
it is open to anyone's definitions. There was a discussion on Musweb-L about a
year ago where we expolred the concept. One suggestion was to identify groups
that technology could tie to museums like senior centers. The challenge is to
organize diffuse and non-traditional interests in museums to a volunteer
program and still maintain some control. My work with these two schools has
been dominated by hours of work synchronizing vision and maintaining focus.
This has also been true for our live collaborative programs and special
events. Technology makes it seem so simple but really we are still dealing
with human beings and their wonderful complexity and diversity. Any online
volunteer program such capitalize on those aspects.


Jim
Yes, I realise when I am making suggestions about volunteer programs that it all takes a huge amount of staff input - planning, guiding, reviewing work, etc. I guess I'm hoping that as time progresses and museums adapt to changing environments, that more energies (and funds) will be put into non-traditional schemes. The interactive opportunities enabled by the WWW and new technologies has the potential to lead to new communication models between museums and their users and increased participation by all museum audiences - including special interest groups, museum professionals, volunteers and friends.
trish
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