Brittany, Amy and I attended the Northern California Docent Forum 2004 today at the Oakland Museum of California. It was a great meeting and I came away with a lot of ideas (and hopefully a new resolution to get things done instead of only being frustrated that things are so difficult right now.)
I'll have more notes in a bit, but here's the pieces I went to:
Keynote Address: Patrick J. Gallagher
Gallagher & Associates
Design for Innovation: Evolving Styles of Interpretation
Session: The Four R’s: Recruitment, Retention, Recognition and Retirement
Panelists will examine methods of recruitment that attract volunteers who reflect the diversity of their institution’s community, discuss building support systems that retain docents and share ideas for easing docents into reassignment or retirement when that time comes.
Session: Docent Organization and Leadership
Even the smallest of museums have some form of volunteer group organized to ensure that its commitment to visitors and the local community is met. Panelists will describe several organizational structures and their strengths, and address other issues including how to retain and renew program leaders and how to facilitate positive working relationships between the docent organization and the staff.
And then lunch, where I sat with a group talking about staff/volunteer relations and then an open forum where everyone asked questions and shared information.
And after the conference, we had a chance to see their new special exhibit, What’s Going on?—California and the Vietnam Era.