I am writing on list because I have a particular rant on this topic. The money is typically so short in museums and the number of services we are expected to provide are increasing so exponentially, that we must rely on volunteers to help us meet minimum service levels instead of hiring additional staff. The kind of thing we need done by people other than ourselves is rarely exciting enough to hold the interest of skilled volunteers (who are well aware of their worth anyway and are always looking for paid opportunities), yet the volunteers who could be trained have erratic schedules and are apt to up and leave anyway. We find that to continually invest our time in training volunteers takes away from our other duties, and once trained their major motivation is hanging out and socializing with us---hardly conducive to getting our own work done. Typically a job or program starts out being done by a motivated, skilled volunteer, then it becomes so invaluable that we allot $ to it to make it a part-time position once the volunteer threatens to quit. It then gets integrated into our operations to the extent that it becomes a full-time position. The total elapsed time to get this accomplished is about 5 years. We have a staff of 22 full-time people and 6-8 part-time people--the institution was all-volunteer from 1934 to 1976, when it got a total of one full-time paid person. Today our volunteers are used as docents, supplementary office help in all departments and installation assistants--we tried to have a volunteer coordinate our volunteer efforts but...you got it...it got turned into a paid job once it started to entail some real work. End of rant. But you see what I mean? Julia Moore Director of Exhibitions and Artist Services Indianapolis Art Center http://www.indplsartcenter.org -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of [log in to unmask] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 8:59 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: volunteers at museums Hello. I am writing an article for Museums Journal, the journal of the Museums Association in London, on volunteers and their expectations of working at museums. I am interested in what museums professionals around the world do to encourage participation by volunteers, what has been particularly successful to lure and keep volunteers, and what kinds of things volunteers expect to do or experience when the work in a museums. Excitement? Drama? Doing the curator's job? I would be happy to have responses off list, and would like to hear from professionals or volunteers who may be on this list. Thank you, Lise Hull Wales Correspondent Museums Journal