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Departments Offering Volunteer Programs
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Archives
The Museum is a repository for 2000 feet of records and over 300,000
photographic and other visual materials documenting the administrative
history of the University of Pennsylvania Museum and its archaeological
and anthropological fieldwork and research. Archives Scribes assist
in organizing and documenting the historical records. Previous archival
experience or library training is helpful.
Collections
Collection sections using volunteers are the African, American,
Asian, Egyptian, Mediterranean, Near Eastern, and Oceanian. Volunteers
help to organize and maintain the storage collections, pulling objects,
and check and update cards and inventory records. Responsibilities
may include computer data input.
Conservation Laboratory
The Conservation Laboratory is responsible for the treatment, repair,
and restoration of the Museum Collections. Volunteers who are interested
in the Conservation Laboratory should have experience with Museum
conservation processes.
Volunteer Guides (Docents)
The Volunteer Guides offer gallery tours to school and adult groups,
Tuesdays through Fridays, with occasional weekend tours for the general
public. Although it is helpful to have expertise in a particular culture or
historic period, it is more important to be enthusiastic about sharing the
Museum galleries with visitors and getting them engaged with the artifacts.
Training to lead a gallery tour takes between six to twelve months,
depending on the amount of time a volunteer is available. Once trained,
guides need to be able to devote one morning a week to leading tours. For
more information or to become a Penn Museum Guide call the Docent
Coordinator at 215-898-2681.
Education Office
Volunteer help is used by the Education Office to confirm school
group tours, help the groups line up for orderly transfer to the
respective galleries, and assist with general office duties. Volunteers
interested in working with children have opportunities
to help with various Children's Workshops.
International Classroom
The International Classroom provides in-house as well as outreach
programs that bring cross-cultural learning experiences to young
people. In addition to clerical tasks, volunteers assist in developing
programs and resource materials.
MASCA
MASCA (The Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology) deals
with the physical and biological sciences and is particularly involved
in the study of Near Eastern ceramics and glass, Old and New World
metallurgical processes, paleobotany, archaeology, and paleopathology.
MASCA staff look for volunteers with expertise in specialized areas.
Membership
The Membership Office oversees the Museum's active membership program,
including special lectures, reports, receptions and dinners. Volunteers
in this office assist with general clerical tasks as well as provide
support for special functions when needed.
Mobile Guides
The Mobile Guides (or Museum on the Go) program, takes traveling
programs into Philadelphia Public Schools each year. Volunteers
work in teams in this award-winning outreach program, bringing artifacts
and information to students about Ancient Egypt, Native Americans,
and cultures of Africa.
Museum Shops
The Museum Shop and the Pyramid Shop, which caters to school programs,
sell unusual gifts and jewelry from the cultures represented by
the Museum's collections. Volunteers work as sales personnel and
cashiers, and help with stock and general merchandising tasks.
Photo Studio
The facility provides complete photographic services to the Museum.
Volunteers in this department do not need any special photography
background. All that is required is a willingness to learn.
Public Information Office
The Public Information Office works with every department and research
division in the Museum to communicate to the wider world about UPM
and its many activities. Volunteers help with related marketing,
telephone, information distribution, outreach events, website and
computer projects.
Registrar
The Registrar's Office handles administrative matters relating
to the Museum's collection and is the coordinating center for the
total Museum inventory. Volunteers help with filing and maintaining
records, sorting and numbering objects, inventory data input, and
general office duties.
Special Events
The Museum sponsors a wide variety of special events for members
and the public on weekends and in the evening. Volunteers help with
many aspects of special events.
Visitor Information Program
The Visitor Information Program volunteers (VIPs) provide a variety of
services to Museum visitors on weekends. The job entails assisting and
informing our visitors so that their trip here is a pleasant one. This can
include acting as hosts and hostesses in welcoming the public and
responding to questions; taking an artifact cart out into the galleries to
engage visitors directly with Education Department artifacts; presenting a
Highlights tour (or other gallery tour) on the spur of the moment or when
scheduled; and assisting with weekend programs presented by the Education
Department. Training is very self-directed, but usually takes about three
months and includes following Public Tours and shadowing an experienced VIP
member. The time commitment is a minimum of two 3-hour "shifts" per month,
on either Saturdays or Sundays.
How to Sign Up
Fax or email the VOLUNTEER
APPLICATION FORM to:
Jane Nelson, Volunteer Coordinator
p. (215) 898-0657
f. (215) 898-4277
nelsonjf@sas.upenn.edu |
