Having worked as a volunteer and as paid manager of an interpretation
program, I've seen this problem from both sides. I think the truth is that
most volunteers want to know only so much about the subject(s) they
interpret, and that knowledge tends to be about the things that interest
them most. So one fix is to allow volunteers to "specialize" and do certain
types of tours. This encourages them to learn more about the specific topics
that interest them and become knowledge sources for their fellow guides. But
the basic tour information must be stressed as well, of course, so an annual
or biannual mandatory refresher course helps remind everyone of the
important points. Having a staff member follow each volunteer's tour once or
twice a year can turn up any myths that creep in, which can then be
addressed in regular volunteer meetings. Of course, either solution might
fail. I once knew a 96-year-old guide whose tour contained so
much embroidery that there was little room left for basic information. But
visitors came again and again and brought guests just to hear her tour. She
was hailed repeatedly as a "national treasure" in the guest comment book. Do
you force a great storyteller to stick to the facts, or allow a guide
to practically ignore the basic interpretation? (Thank goodness, it wasn't
my decision to make!)

Elizabeth

On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 11:04 AM, Aaron Preston <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> I am forming a new volunteer training course.  Below is a general
> description of one minor problem I have dealt with at a former museum.  Any
> thoughts on ways to guard against this?  I never want to ask the docent to
> be the expert, that is the job of the staff, however, I would  interested in
> hearing others opinions on this...
>
> Though some volunteers are "lifelong learners," after the course is over,
> volunteers  tend to know only so much as is necessary to deal with the tours
> for which they are responsible and the questions the tours typically
> stimulate.  Once a volunteer has worked at an institution for a while s/he
> tends to “get comfortable” and the volunteer is less provoked to learn about
> the subject matter on his or her own.   This can result in a kind of
> patch-work tour, a version complete with largely accurate information taught
> in the training class, mixed with popular myth, and even misinformation.
>  Over time, I feel the information in the structured training classes can
> become distorted like a big game of telephone.
>
>
>
> Aaron Preston
>
> Education Director
> Cherokee Strip Regional
> Heritage Center
> 507 S. 4th St.
> Enid, Oklahoma
> 73701
>
> (580) 237-1907 ext. 226
> [log in to unmask]
>
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