Volunteer Impacts

1.5 minute read

Working alongside volunteers has truly become one of the most enriching experiences of my career. These are people who follow their curiosity, who gift their expertise, and who commit themselves to sharing their experience of the Museum with others. 

Volunteers make a positive impact on my life and a huge impact in our collections. Over the last five years of my time here, they have:

• Sustained the growth of our herbarium collection over four seasons, with the last plant collecting efforts having taken place in 1976

• Woven specimens into educational programming and outreach events, including bringing wolf pelts to event booths and interpreting mammalian adaptations during drop-in youth programs

• Provided structure and organization to our collections through tedious data entry and cleanup or reorganization of our pinned insect collection
• Called attention to needs for procedural improvements, prompting the collaborative development of guidelines for specimen preparation and increased documentation of our methods and various in-house experiments

• Connected us with new partners, including potential volunteer recruits in areas of collections, programming, and exhibits, as well as field experts and organizational resources
• Encouraged me to consider what we give back to volunteers, from working together on establishing supplies, resources, and professional development needs to empowering them to engage in self-directed projects

It's a fact that the majority of people working in museums are volunteers (American Alliance of Museums ‘Museum Financial Information Survey’ (2009)). Their innumerable contributions deserve unending thanks and praise. And so this week, I want to thank all current collections volunteers and encourage others to explore their interests through new volunteer positions in our collections. Let's start a dialogue about how we can find mutual benefit in our partnership!