Open Forum

Hello,

I am looking for ideas on ways for visitors to identify volunteers and docents on the floor. Currently, docents have blue jackets, and volunteers have a 'business casual' dress code, in addition to wearing a pin that says 'Ask Me!.' What has worked best in your museum? We want to identify all volunteers, but also differentiate docents from non-docents. There is a worry that t-shirts don't last long, but many volunteers don't like the jackets, either.

Thanks! 

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Amanda Stopar
Volunteer and Internship Manager
Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee WI
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Have you considered badges of some kind?  You could have ID badges with different colors for docents and volunteers.  It gives them an official look and identifies them as being affiliated with the organization, while allowing them to wear whatever clothing they like.  We all (volunteers too) wear ID badges that are plastic and have RFID chips in them but you could keep it to simple laminated paper with either just the word docent/volunteer or with a photo and their name.  It'd be simple to print out on an inkjet printer.

Just a thought I had.  Have a great Tuesday!

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Geoffrey Woodcox
Assistant Curator of Collections
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Bismarck ND

Original Message:
Sent: 03-21-2016 02:13 PM
From: Amanda Stopar
Subject: Docent/Volunteer Identification

Hello,

I am looking for ideas on ways for visitors to identify volunteers and docents on the floor. Currently, docents have blue jackets, and volunteers have a 'business casual' dress code, in addition to wearing a pin that says 'Ask Me!.' What has worked best in your museum? We want to identify all volunteers, but also differentiate docents from non-docents. There is a worry that t-shirts don't last long, but many volunteers don't like the jackets, either.

Thanks! 

------------------------------
Amanda Stopar
Volunteer and Internship Manager
Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee WI
------------------------------

Interesting question. Here at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia volunteers and employees on the floor of the museum wear the same blue polo or tee shirt. For employees the shirt has "Staff" on it and for volunteers it says "Volunteer." We actually want everyone on the floor to look alike so that visitors get used to looking for people in blue shirts. They don't often notice if it is a volunteer or employee which is fine by us. We do not have "docents." Volunteers and employees are out on the floor as informal educators and to provide a friendly presence. I know that some museums struggle with a rift between docents and other volunteers where the docents seem to have a sense of superiority. Having different uniforms for docents and volunteers could promote such a rift if that is already a problem.

------------------------------
Lois Kuter
Manager of Volunteer Services
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Philadelphia PA

Original Message:
Sent: 03-21-2016 02:13 PM
From: Amanda Stopar
Subject: Docent/Volunteer Identification

Hello,

I am looking for ideas on ways for visitors to identify volunteers and docents on the floor. Currently, docents have blue jackets, and volunteers have a 'business casual' dress code, in addition to wearing a pin that says 'Ask Me!.' What has worked best in your museum? We want to identify all volunteers, but also differentiate docents from non-docents. There is a worry that t-shirts don't last long, but many volunteers don't like the jackets, either.

Thanks! 

------------------------------
Amanda Stopar
Volunteer and Internship Manager
Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee WI
------------------------------

Hello,

I work at a Science Center and we have the similar uniform policies as described by my colleague in Philadelphia. Our floor staff, including paid and unpaid (interns)  all wear a "uniform" of tan pants or shorts and a black polo shirt with our logo.  We provide the polo but the shorts or pants just have to be tan in color, neat and clean and not too short. We also wear name tags.  

Our volunteer staff also wear tan pants or shorts, a white shirt with a collar (their own shirt) and blue vests featuring our logo.. The vests are kept hanging in our Volunteer Lounge. They also wear a nametag.

Guests can then see that anyone with a name tag and apparel featuring our logo is a person to ask for  help, answer questions, give directions and assist in whatever way needed.  We also have rotating explainer carts with science experiments that are manned but either staff or volunteers. We do not use docents.

I think that name tags with your logo would be sufficient.  I agree that minimizing the rub between staff, interns, volunteers and docents is a good thing.  Docents who are leading tours or groups can maybe wear a colored button that just says GUIDE or DOCENT so groups know who to look for?

Good luck.

------------------------------
Linda Nelson
Registrar
Maryland Science Center
Baltimore MD

Original Message:
Sent: 03-22-2016 09:10 AM
From: Lois Kuter
Subject: Docent/Volunteer Identification

Interesting question. Here at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia volunteers and employees on the floor of the museum wear the same blue polo or tee shirt. For employees the shirt has "Staff" on it and for volunteers it says "Volunteer." We actually want everyone on the floor to look alike so that visitors get used to looking for people in blue shirts. They don't often notice if it is a volunteer or employee which is fine by us. We do not have "docents." Volunteers and employees are out on the floor as informal educators and to provide a friendly presence. I know that some museums struggle with a rift between docents and other volunteers where the docents seem to have a sense of superiority. Having different uniforms for docents and volunteers could promote such a rift if that is already a problem.

------------------------------
Lois Kuter
Manager of Volunteer Services
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Philadelphia PA