Adrienne Roberts  wrote:
>..... I was wondering if a few of you wouldn't mind giving me soem quotes
about the benefits of volunteer work for >experience, and for when it comes
to hiring practices.

Undertaking volunteer as an undergraduate (or graduate) give a person two
key advantages over their contemporaries who don't volunteer. Firstly, the
volunteer is exposed to "real world" experiences that one doesn't
necessarily get within the confines of colleges and universities. Let's
face it - in the museum world time is money, and there is never enough of
either, so short cuts are often taken. You rarely learn about short cuts in
the class room. You also get to learn about little irritating things like
budgetting, staff meetings, working with other sections of the museum, and
a miriad of other distractions that prevent archaeologists from chipping
away at the remains of history, curators from researching their collection,
and conservators from stopping the rot.

The second advantage a volunteer gets is a reputation. There are nearly
always more than one applicant for a job in a museum. Museums are therefore
able to pick who they want to work for them. As I said above, money is
always tight, so, anyone selecting a potential employee should choose
someone who has claims that can be supported by referees, over someone who
can only offer promises.

George Bailey
Objects Conservator
Australian War Memorial
Treloar Centre for Conservation
4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911
Australia
Phone: +61 2 6243 4440
fax:   +61 2 6241 7998
email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.awm.gov.au

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