The Spurlock Museum
Volunteer Position Description

Title/Position: docent (tour guide/program leader)

Number of Volunteers Sought: 3–6

Position Goal: 
The volunteer will aid the Educational Section in the presentation of a variety of programs for visitors of all ages. Programs include gallery tours; special programs in the galleries, Zahn Learning Center, and/or Knight Auditorium; and outreach to local classrooms, meetings of community groups, and other educational settings.

Timeframe:

• Length of commitment: minimum of one year (training takes place over several months).
• Estimated total hours: open-ended. Most tours and programs range from 1.5 to 3 hours.

Scheduling:
Scheduling will be determined by Museum tour and program bookings, as well as by the volunteer’s schedule and calendar.

Start date:
Docent training sessions are scheduled for the morning of June 12, July 10, and August 7. Further sessions will be scheduled soon.

Location of worksite and equipment to be used:
Tours will be presented in the Museum galleries. Programs will be presented in a variety of settings: the Spurlock Museum, regional classrooms, libraries, etc. Equipment used will include artifacts, craft materials, computers, and other educational materials as needed.

Qualifications sought:

• The ability to read and learn basic information about the Museum and its exhibits and accurately relate these concepts to visitors.
• Good people skills. The volunteer must be able to communicate well with all visitors.
• The willingness to learn and use new teaching strategies.
• Good eye-hand coordination. The volunteer may be handling artifacts during educational programs and will receiving training in artifact handling protocol.
• Proficiency in spoken English is required.

Benefits:

• The volunteer will serve as a member of the Spurlock Museum educational team.
• The volunteer will have the opportunity to share their appreciation and knowledge of the Museum’s collections with visitors of all ages.
• The volunteer will engage with the diverse communities served by the Museum
• The volunteer will encourage life-long learning in Museum visitors.

Supervisors:
Education Section Senior Staff

To apply please e-mail a completed application to Beth Watkins, Education/Volunteer Coordinator, at ewatkins@uiuc.edu.