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Re: Volunteers in the archives



Lisa,

At the Naval Historical Center's Operational Archives, our volunteers work
mostly behind the scenes.  We've had several volunteers take on the
processing of personal papers collections, and we often have them do basic
tasks such as removing materials from filing cabinets and putting them in
archival folders and boxes.  Most of the transcribed documents on our
website are also done by volunteers.  All of our web development is done as
a collateral duty by several members of NHC's staff, and we simply don't
have time to undertake the transcriptions ourselves.  Interns and volunteers
interested in the reference side of things help research and draft
responses to written inquiries and sometimes sit in on reference interviews
with a member of the professional staff.

The one caution I would give you is to make sure that volunteers, especially
new volunteers and those with no archival background, are given enough
supervision.  We had one volunteer who departed last spring after spending
2+ years processing a collection about 8 cubic feet in size.  He'd been left
mostly to his own devices by my predecessor, and from the time she departed
until I arrived he had no supervision at all.  Turns out he'd spent those
two years reading each and every document and carefully sorting them all
into subject files of his own devising.  I'm now left with the task of at
least partially reprocessing this collection so that it will be
understandable to researchers, which reduces the value of having the
volunteer do it in the first place.

Nonetheless, this shouldn't discourage you from bringing in volunteers.
We depend on the Navy reservists doing their required stint of
active-duty to get to some of those projects we want to do but can't seem to
find the time for.  Volunteers and interns can be a tremendous help, just
keep an eye on 'em.

Wade Wyckoff


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wade Wyckoff
Archivist

Operational Archives Branch
Naval Historical Center
805 Kidder Breese Street SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374
(202) 433-3224
(202) 433-2833 (fax)
wyckoff.wade@nhc.navy.mil
http://www.history.navy.mil
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


----------
>From: Lisa Moellering <lmoellering@HMH.ORG>
>To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
>Subject: Volunteers in the archives
>Date: Fri, Jul 20, 2001, 3:09 PM
>

> Can anyone tell me how they use volunteers in the archives?  What kinds of
> jobs they do...  Level of responsibility you give a volunteer.  We are in
> the process of revising our volunteer policies, procedures, job
> descriptions, etc... and was curious to know what others do or how they
> handle volunteers in the archives.
>
> Thanks very much-
>
> Lisa Moellering
> Holocaust Museum Houston
> 5401 Caroline Street
> Houston, TX 77004
> 713/942-8000 ext. 120
> fax: 713/942-7953
> lmoellering@hmh.org
>
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>