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Hello everyone,
I received an astounding, 36 responses to my short list of
questions on museum library docent services. Three of them wanted summaries, but did
not answer the questions, so my summary below is based on 33 responses. 30 were from museum libraries, 3 were
from academic libraries with connections to the university museum. The museum libraries ranged from several
one-person shops to larger staffed institutions.
TRAINING:
20 were involved on a regular basis
10 were not
3 were involved only when asked on a
informal basis
9 libraries train docents one-on-one
9 create prepared materials for docent training (types of
materials range from searching guides and bibliographies, to full folders of
information on selected objects)
Comments on training docents mentioned their preference for
one-on-one treatment and lack of computer skills. Many docents never use the library after
the training session, unless they have an immediate need for information (tour
tomorrow!)
RESERVE:
17 reserve material for the docents to use
16 do not reserve material
The materials could be selected by the docent trainer, (setting
aside required reading for the docents), or by the librarians selecting
material relating to exhibitions.
CIRCULATION:
6 libraries circulate to the public, members or students and
include the docents
27 libraries were non-circulating (on-site staff only
circulation)
Of the 27 non-circulating collections, 2 treated the docents
as staff and allowed circulation. (Staff circulation was overwhelmingly on-site
only. But 1 library had 3 day off-site circulation period with a 24 hour
recall).
Comments ranged from “circulate to docents? Oh no!”
to “Yes, they are our front line P.R. staff”
DOCENT COLLECTIONS:
12 respondents had special circulating collections just for
docents
21 did not.
Of the 12 docent collections 5 are managed or connected in
some way to the museum library and 7 are managed by other departments or the
docents themselves.
OTHER:
3 libraries mentioned giving the docents free photocopies
Thank you all for your responses. As I mentioned in my first message, I
have been asked to speak about library resources to the docents. But also, our docents have offered to
donate their circulating collection to the library, thinking it would remain a
circulating collection. So I was
very interested in the responses to my few simple questions. You all have been very helpful.
Marianne L. Cavanaugh
Head Librarian
314-655-5255