[NJARC] How to Volunteer - (was NJARC] NJARC Digest, Vol 170, Issue 17)

[Harry Klancer]

Ed (and others),

Thanks for asking. There are a number of ways to volunteer at the
museum. You can do as much or as little as you are interested in
doing. Following are four specific opportunities:

1.  General work around the museum on the Wednesday workdays.
There are usually 6 1o 10 people there, and lots to do ranging from
reorganizing displays to setting up new ones to moving items
between storage and the museum to repairing radios and other
museum 'stuff' in the repair shop, to ... you get the idea. We are
usually there from 10 am to 5 pm, or any part of that that you can do.

2.  Working at swapmeets. For example, the next one is our outdoor
tailgate at InfoAge on Saturday, July 21. We need folks ahead of time to 
mark out
tailgate spaces in the lawn, put out signs, check people in on the
morning of, collect money at the gate and provide directions, work at
the coffee/bagels table, and so on.

3.  Work at the quarterly repair clinics. You can bring your tools and work
as an expert if you are adept at it (schedule ahead of time with Richard 
Lee),
or else just help manage the thing and help out in general.

4. Work as a Docent (tour guide) in the museum on our open days:
Saturdays and Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm. Visitors to the museum
range from people who remember the technology to those for whom it's
a total mystery. Some visitors want a guided tour, and some just like to
walk around and read the signage themselves. Occasionally, we also
encounter a real expert who can tell US a lot about our displays. Many of
the visiting groups are families with kids of various ages. We have a 
number
of hands-on items, (and some hands-off things too) so the Docent has to be
watchful of the artifacts.

There is a Docent Handbook that was written some years ago that includes:
a)  a general description of the job of the Docent,
b)  where things such as bathrooms and doors are located,
c)  procedures for opening and closing the museum,
d)  the kinds of questions you might likely be asked, and so on.
e)  a little history of the site
The current handbook also includes some description of the displays,
and history of some of the technologies. However, we have significantly
reorganized the museum since that was written, so some parts of what we
have now are not explained in the handbook. (We are currently writing
some quick-guide material for some of the newer displays). However, if you
just browse around in the museum and read the signage, you'll have a 
good head start.

You can be a Docent as often or as seldom as is convenient for you. I 
send out
a email request before the beginning of each month, and aggregate the 
responses
and try to fill all the dates in a month based on those responses. If 
you would
like to be on the request list, just send me an email and I will add you 
to the list.
[we used to send requests to the NJARC membership. crickets ...]

As for Docent training, we do not have a formal process - the usual way we
handle this is to make sure you have a Docent Handbook and any other
prep material ahead of time, and to schedule you to work with an 
experienced Docent
for your first few times. Then we get you a door key, a security code and an
InfoAge shirt.

Any other questions, send to me, Al Klase or Ray Chase and one of us 
will get back to you.

                                 Harry Klancer
                                 klancer2 at comcast.net


On 6/13/2018 4:23 PM, Ed Papson wrote:
> Just remember
> Reply = Poster
> Reply All = Everyone
>
> _________________________________________________________
>
>
> 06/13/2018
>
>
> The specific duties for volunteering at the museum might have been
>
> shared previously or are on the NJARC website.
>
>
> To make it easy, what exactly is required? When? and for how long?
>
>
> Regards,
>
> ed
>
>
>
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