As a Collections Manager, I would say any policy about who can access the
collections should be written by the Collections Manager.  In this case, it
would be remiss not to include the Volunteer Manager in the drafting of
such a document.  Volunteers are a valuable resource but you want to make
sure that you do not incorporate their services at the expense of your
collections but rather to the benefit of the collections.

----------
> From: [log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: SUMMARY: access of volunteers to collections
> Date: Sunday, November 09, 1997 7:07 PM
>
> Last week I asked the list about access of volunteers to collections.
Thanks
> to Patricia Miller of the Illinois Heritage Association, Adrienne DeArmas
of
> the Historical Society of Washington, DC, Robin Toulouse of the
Children's
> Museum of Indianapolis, and Ryan Judd of the Shedd Aquarium.  Without a
doubt,
> museums rely on volunteers extensively.  Several mentioned volunteers who
know
> the collections incredibly well, sometimes better than staff.  In one
case
> access is provided with a picture id and/or electronic/magnetic card, for
which
> a driver's license must be traded in its place temporarily. Everyone
noted all
> volunteers have some supervision but without them nothing would get done.
>
> The insight into this isse was valuable and now I wonder if it is more
usual
> than not to have no policy in place regarding access of volunteers to
> collections and storage.  Can anyone shed light on this?  Is writing a
policy
> more the purview of the collections manager or volunteer manager?  Anyone
> willing to share their policy in more detail?  Any art museums want to
respond?
>
> Again, I'll post a general summary if this is too sensitive to discuss in
the
> list's open forum although I'm sure several list members are interested.
>
> Tania Said
> M.A. in museum studies candidate
> and Corporation for National Service Fellow
>
> Tania Said & Steven Schuler
> [log in to unmask]