volunteer programs in archives
TRANSCRIPT
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Resources for
Volunteer Programsin Archives
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Contents1 Irduci
1 Hw U hi Rurc
2 Vlur i Archiv: A ovrviw
Archiv ad Prjc Dcripi
Church History DepartmentLatter-Day Saints Church (LDS)
5 Joseph Smith Papers
Harry S. Truman Presidential Libraryand Museum
7 Online Photograph Database
Indiana Historical Society9 Deaccessioning
11 Oral History ranscriptions
National Archives at College Park
13 Online Indexing o Vietnam Unit Awards (4 Series)or Fold3.com Digitization Project
15 Rearrange and Re-label Record Group 407, WWIIOperations Reports File Units, Entry 427F-CountryFiles, 19411948
National Archives at Fort Worth
17 Assisting Patrons
19 Processing Conederate Court Records
National Archives Building
21 Indexing Bounty Lands Records
Oregon Jewish Museum
23 Congregation Beth Israel Project
Providence Archives, Mother Joseph Province
25 Exploring the Archival Proession
Shelburne Museum Archives
27 Archives Appraisal and Processing project
Smithsonian Institution Archives29 Electronic Records Projects: Born-Digital Video
31 Preserving Primary Materials that Documentthe History o the Institution rom the Nineteenthand wentieth Centuries
State Historical Society o North Dakota,State Archives
33 North Dakota County/District Court Case File Project
35 Prairie Public elevision: SPINProgram Digitization
tl shard by Archiv
Indiana Historical Society
38 Volunteer Questionnaire
National Archives and Records Administration
41 Volunteer Service Application
45 Volunteer/Intern Emergency and Medical Consent Form
46 Standards o Conduct or Volunteers
48 Volunteer Project Worksheet
Oregon Jewish Museum
50 Archival Processing Manual
Providence Archives, Mother Joseph Province
73 Volunteer Handbook
Shelburne Museum Volunteer Program83 Volunteer Application Form
Smithsonian Institution Archives
87 Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer Program:Volunteer Project Description
Addiial Rurc
88 Online Resources
88 Print Resources
Acknowledgments
Resources or Volunteer Programs in Archives was
envisioned, compiled, and edited by Judy Luis-Watson,
Rebecca Martin, and Lee Ann Potter o the National
Archives. It was also edited by Benjamin Guterman othe National Archives. Contributions to this publication
made by the sta o the National Archives and Records
Administration are in the public domain.
Additional editing and production was done by the
Society o American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
Graphic design by Matt Duek, [email protected].
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When we celebrated the bicentennial
o the United States in 1976, sta at
the National Archives in Washington,
D.C. recruited and trained volunteers
to provide visitors o the Declaration
o Independence, Constitution, and
Bill o Rights in our Rotunda with a
richer experience. Te very next year,
when Roots by Alex Haley generated
tremendous interest in our resources or
genealogists, we recruited and trained
additional volunteers to help us serve our
research public.
From these beginnings and or the past
three decades, the National Archives has
proudly supported volunteer programs
in D.C., as well as in our regional acilities
and presidential librariesand, more
recently, online. Hundreds o volunteers
across the agency are engaged in a variety
o activities, contributing hundreds o
hours and their many talents to dozens
o projects, and we appreciate them every
day! We know that this appreciation is
not unique to the National Archiveswe
share this sentiment with many other
archival institutions that support and
benet rom volunteers.
We also realize that volunteers do not just
magically appear, volunteer projects do
not manage themselves, and volunteers
do not (usually) train themselves! Sta
members play invaluable roles; they
serve as project managers, human capital
specialists, teachers, and more. Tey also
create tools to assist in the volunteers
eorts.
Tese resources, rom multiple archival
acilitiesboth large and smallwere
assembled to serve the larger archivalcommunity and to assist archives
proessionals who work with volunteers
or who are considering doing so. Te
National Archives was proud to take the
lead in this eort with the Society o
American Archivists, and we are delighted
that colleagues rom nearly a dozen other
institutions generously contributed
resources.
DAVID S. FERRIERO
Archivist o the United States
Irduci
Hw U thi RurcBox ater box o material needing re-
housing, collections waiting or nding
aids, hours o untranscribed oral histories
languishing . . . the list o archival projects
we would like to complete oten seems
endless. Across the United States, many
archival institutions are expanding their
capacity to accomplish these and other
projects by using volunteers.
Tis guide introduces you to some o
the volunteer activities underway in
various archives. Arranged by institution,
the guide oers descriptions o sample
projects. Te smallest project uses one
volunteer, the largest several dozen.
Te project descriptions outline all
kinds o work, rom transcription to
processing, rom reerence to indexing.
Each description is meant to oer an
example o one way to organize work. I
you have never used volunteer help in
your organization, this guide will provide
you with a sense o the possibilities. And
i you are interested in expanding or
rethinking your volunteer program, this
guide will oer some ideas. Beore you
read the project descriptions, you may
nd it useul to review the next section,
which contains a general overview o
working with volunteers in archival
institutions.
Ater the descriptions o sample projects,
you will nd other resources, includingvolunteer applications, handbooks,
emergency contact orms, and volunteer
job descriptions. Tese model orms and
training materials may inspire you to
revise your existing orms, or they may
help you develop a brand new volunteer
program.
Bess Truman in March, 1946, writing a nat a desk. This photo is rom the collec
Truman Papers, Family, Business and Pe
Aairs, which was described by a volunCourtesy of the Harry S. Truman Presiden
Library and Museum.
General Frank E. Lowe with a captured Russian anti-tank gun in SouthKorea, September 6, 1950. This is rom the Harry S. Truman Papers,
Presidents Secretarys Files, Frank E. Lowe Fileanother collection
described by a volunteer at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Libraryand Museum. Courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and
Museum.
ung Charles Thayer dressed in a Cossack costume hiser purchased in Russia, ca. 1914. The photo is part o
Papers o Charles Thayer collection, which contains
e than 1,300 photos that two volunteers worked tocribe over the course o three years. Courtesy of the
y S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
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Vlur i Archiv: A ovrviw
Why have volunteers in archives?
It is in the nature o archives to have
backlogssometimes huge backlogs. And
it is an unortunate reality that archives
are oten understaed. At a time when
the volume o archival records created is
increasing monumentally, it is common
in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world or
budgets to be cut and paid sta to
be reduced.
What attracts volunteers to archives?
Volunteering at archives appeals to people
who want to contribute to something
larger than themselves, something that
will be here long ater they and theirprogeny are gone. A love o history also
attracts volunteers to archives. For
students and those seeking new careers,
the training they receive and the hands-
on experience with original records in
archives are invaluable.
How do volunteers serve at archives?
Volunteers are an inusion o energy.
Teir enthusiasm or preserving and
providing access to the records, as well astheir drive to work on archival projects,
can be contagious. Tis can-do attitude
impacts not only the sta who work with
volunteers but also other sta at the
archives.
Volunteers can oten tackle the valuable
projects that sta do not have the time
to complete. Preparing nding aids that
assist reerence and pull sta as well as
researchers, or example, contributes to
the organization as a whole. Conductingholdings maintenance, which can
consume time and energy, has a similar
positive eect on the organization and its
customers.
Volunteers also serve as advocates or
archives. Tey get the word out about
the important role o a repository, public
programs, and records o genealogical
value; explain how to research records
at the archives or online; discuss their
volunteer projects; and help to recruit
other like-minded volunteers.
What should you consider beore
launching a volunteer project or
program?
In some ways, working with volunteers is
quite similar to working with paid sta
members. O course, there are also some
important dierences.
Beore working with a new volunteer or
establishing a volunteer program, be able
to respond to the ollowing questions
about the purpose and logistics:
What would you like volunteers to
do? Te abstract concept o getting a
volunteer to help is an appealing one.
But volunteers cant be successul
without knowing specically what they
are being asked to do.
Who will be in charge o the
volunteers? One person needs to have
the responsibility o setting out work
or the volunteers, reviewing that work,
providing eedbackand ultimately,
taking responsibility or it.
Where will the volunteers sit? Do
the volunteers need desk space? A
computer? A processing table?
Do the volunteers need any special
skills or abilities? Who is best suited
or this project? Should the volunteers
have experience handling archival
material? Will the most appropriate
volunteers be knowledgeable about
a particular historical topic? Do thevolunteers need to be able to bend or
lit objects? Can the necessary training
be made available to them?
What sort o training will you need
to provide or the volunteers to
be successul? Who will provide the
training? Will you be able to oer it
whenever it suits the volunteers, or
will you need to hold the training at a
specic time?
When volunteers come on board, make
sure you welcome them. Provide a tour
o your oce area or acility; introduce
them to other sta members; and explain
organizational procedures, such as whereto store coats and bags and when and
where to take a lunch break.
Make sure the volunteers have all the
resources necessary or the project, and
let them know what to do i questions or
problems arise.
Remember that one o the major
dierences between paid and unpaid
sta is the reason they are working with
your organization. No matter how much
they believe in the work you do, paid
sta come into work each day at least
in part because they are earning money.
Volunteers contribute hours or dierent
reasons. Some volunteers are looking or
opportunities to be with other people.
Some are interested in networking and
developing their proessional skills.
Some want to eel that they are making a
dierence by helping an organization they
support. Some simply nd the work to
be un. For your organization to succeedwith volunteers, youll need to make
sure that youre supplying whatever each
volunteer hopes to gain rom spending
time with you, whether that is a chance
to chat with you or with others or an
opportunity to try out a skill gained in
graduate school. Feeling appreciated is
important to all volunteers, regardless
o their other motivations. As you work
with volunteers, make sure that you
thank them and that you express the
importance o their contributions to your
organization.
What are some o the special
challenges or volunteer programs at
archives?
Not all employees at archives are
supportive o volunteers in archives.
Tere is a eeling among some sta,
including supervisors and managers, that
volunteers diminish the status o the
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archival proession. Some sta ear that
volunteers will replace them and take
away their jobs. As a starting point, a
commitment rom upper management is
critical.
Building trust in the volunteer program
across the archives at all levels must
be an ongoing eort by the volunteer
program manager and all managers.
Including archivists and other sta in
volunteer orientation and training helps
to not only build bridges by providing
an opportunity or sta to share their
expertise, but also or sta to get to
know new volunteers and the knowledge,
skills, and enthusiasm they bring to the
organization. Another way to build thecredibility o the volunteer program is
to regularly share the successes o the
volunteers and projects supervised by
sta as a win or the organization.
Security at archives is critical. At
government agencies, or example,
citizenship or specic types o visas and
background checks may be a requirement.
Tis process can be time consuming and
costly and is part o the organizations
investment in the volunteer program.
Te role retired archivists play when they
return as volunteers requires careul
negotiation not only with the new
volunteers, but also with the managers
who supervised the archivists. What
projects they will work on, where they
will be located, and what records they
will have access to are some o the issues
that must be claried beore the retired
archivists begin their volunteer service.
Are volunteer managers and project
supervisors necessary at archives?
Yes! For a volunteer program to be
successul, expectations or volunteers
must be clear and volunteers
expectations must be managed starting
with the application process and
continuing throughout the volunteers
experience. Te quality o the orientation
and initial and ongoing training, as well
as regular assessments, contribute to
the quality o the volunteers work and
experience and, thereore, to the archives
Project supervision ensures that
volunteers receive support or the
projects they work on. Te well-planned
volunteer projects with clear instructions
rom the start result in a high-quality
product and satised volunteers who look
orward to the next project.
Vlur i Archiv: A ovrviw (ciud)
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Archiv ad PrjcDcripi
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
Te purpose o the Church History
Department is to help Gods childrenmake and keep sacred covenants by:
Keeping and sharing a record o His
Church and its people;
Assuring remembrance o Gods hand
in the lives o His children; and
Witnessing to and deending the truths
o the Restoration o the gospel o
Jesus Christ.
Te departments core work is divided
into three areas:
Collect;
Preserve; and
Share.
Collect: Te Church History Department
collects all types o records and materials
related to Church history. Records are
collected both rom Church entities and
non-Church entities. Tese records are
acquired and cataloged to make them
accessible or researchers.
Preserve: Proper preservation o the
collection is a high priority or the
department. Preservation acilities
include:
Granite Mountain Records Vault, which
contains 2.4 million rolls o amily
history microlm and other materials;
Church History Library, which has
twelve storage rooms that provide
temperature- and climate-controlled
storage or records;Museum storage acility, which houses
objects that are used in creating
exhibits or the Church History
Museum; and
Conservation Lab, which maintains and
repairs items in the collection.
Additionally, due to todays increasingly
automated world, systems are being put
in place to preserve digital inormation as
well as physical records and objects.
Share: Church history inormation is
shared in a variety o ways:
Church History Library holdings
accessible onsite and through our
online catalog with increasing digital
content;
Church History Museum exhibits and
programs;
Historic sites; and
Publications, such as the Joseph Smith
Papers volumes.
Te department is structured into six
components: Administration, Library
Division, Preservation Division, Museum
Division, Historic Sites Division, and
Publications Division. Te departments
sta consists o 240 employees, 15 to 30
interns, and 500 to 600 volunteers.
Church Hiry DparmLar-Day sai Church (LDs)www.lds.org/churchhistory/
Salt Lake City, Utah
Project itleJph smih Papr
Contact
Dan Gallup
(801) 240-8280
Institutional Information /Purpose Statement:
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Te project is in the Publications Division
o the Church History Department. Te
project is managed by the director o the
Publications Division and the managing
editor o the project. Tere is also an
editorial board that is the governing body
or the papers project.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
We currently have orty-two volunteers
working on the project.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
We have dierent kinds o volunteers:
Academic interns: Each semester we
bring in ten to teen unpaid academic
interns. Tey are assigned to assist a
historian/researcher.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
Seasoned historian/researchers:
Tese volunteers work under the
direction o a volume editor and the
managing editor and have specic
assignments to research and write
about.
Full-time and part-time
missionaries: Tese volunteers aremembers o our church who are called
as missionaries or six months to two
years and are assigned to assist on the
project. Teir work can be managed by
any o the historians or writers on the
project.How do you recruit the volunteers?
We work with the History Department
at Brigham Young University (BYU) to
provide academic interns on a semester
basis. We invite LDS scholars toparticipate as volunteers. We also work
through the ormal missionary calling
process.
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Our guidelines vary, based on the type o
volunteering that the person will do.
Academic Interns: We look or
students in their junior or senior years
o study. We also conduct interviews to
ensure a good t.
Seasoned historians/researchers:
Tese individuals need to have a PhD
in an appropriate eld o study, be
published, and/or be an authority in
areas o LDS Church history.
Missionaries: We request basic
computer skills and a willingness to do
basic research. Some missionaries, such
as retirees rom the department, come
with signicant experience and can be
given expanded responsibilities.
All volunteers must be aithul
members o the LDS aith.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
From eight to orty-plus hours per week.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Te interns schedules are based on their
class schedules but are set during their
internships.
Most volunteers work during normalwork hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.),
but the seasoned historians/writers
have fexible hours that depend on their
schedules. Volunteers receive access to
the archives and library during normal
working hours.
Where does the work take place?
Te majority o the work is done on-site
in the Church History Library. Some
research and writing could be done at
peoples homes or at BYU.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
Primarily computer equipment is required
and is provided on-site. Other on-site
equipment, including microlm readers,
is also provided.
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Many do source checking, and othersdo research associated with a particular
volume. Others do writing or editing.
What kind o initial training do your
volunteers receive?
Primarily, volunteers receive training on
using the archives. Some need training
in the use o hardware and sotware.
Most know how to do research and are
productive very quickly.
We also have standard saety training or
all employees and volunteers.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
For documentary writing projects, there
is a signicant amount o collaboration,
discussion, and input in group settings.
Tis provides the kind o ongoing training
and direction that our volunteers need.
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
Te employees who are directing the work
o the volume supervise the day-to-day
work o the volunteers.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and reportthe projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
Tere are requent reviews by the
management team and volume editors.
Tere are also reading reviews o
manuscript drats by the executive
leadership as each volume develops.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
Project employees make all requests or
documents and oversee and supervise
the use o the original material by the
volunteers.
How do you handle security issues?
We have very tight security guidelines
and security protocols in the Church
History Library. Each volunteer has an
access badge that is programmed to
control access throughout the library and
archives.
How do you thank the volunteers?
Appreciation is expressed by their project
leaders. We recognize them in our
department meetings. And the human
resources director conducts an exit
interview with the volunteers.
How do you decide i the project
is a success?
Tis is a very signicant project spanning
more than twenty years. Each volume
is really viewed independently. Sales o
the volumes are one actor, but more
importantly, we look at the eedback
rom the scholarly community on the
content and its useulness in the study o
Mormon history.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
Te Harry S. ruman Library, the rst
presidential library to be created under
the provisions o the 1955 PresidentialLibraries Act, was established to preserve
the papers, books, and other historical
materials relating to ormer President
Harry S. ruman and to make them
available to the American people in a
place suitable or exhibit and research.
Te core o the librarys research holdings,
and the principal reason or its existence,
is its collection o the papers o Harry S.
ruman. At present, the library has about15 million pages o manuscript materials
in its custody, consisting principally o
the White House les or the ruman
Administration. Tey also include papers
that document rumans lie and careers
as a armer, soldier, businessman, local
politician, U.S. senator, vice president
and ormer president. In addition to its
manuscript collections, the library has an
audiovisual collection, and it establishedan oral history project in 1961 in an eort
to ll the gaps in the written record. More
than 13,000 researchers have visited the
librarys research acilities since 1959.
Te library is located in Independence,
Missouri, President rumans hometown.
Harry s. truma Pridial Library ad Muum(National Archives and Records Administration)
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/
Independence, Missouri
Project itle
oli Phgraph DaabaContact
Tammy Kelly
(816) 268-8242
Institutional Information
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Archivist and audiovisual archivist.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
Five to six volunteers.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do youorganize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
It depends on the volunteers skill sets
and what they like to do. As this project
involves work with computers, volunteers
who dont like working with technology
can do research on the photos. Some
volunteers are comortable using the
scanner, but dont like having to describe
photos, so they just scan and build up a
pool o images that other volunteers can
work rom to enter descriptions. Some
volunteers like to work on all aspects o
the project: scanning, researching, and
describing the photos.
Many o our photos come rom
manuscript collections, so volunteers
who work on images rom start to nish
tend to work on those that originated
in manuscript collections, and they
just work on that collectionassigning
accession numbers, scanning, and
describing. Once they nish a collection,
we get another one rom our backlog and
start again. We have a large backlog, but
we also have a large number o photos
that have already been accessioned and
described. Volunteers who work on
parts o the project tend to work with
these photos. We have a volunteer who
just pulls boxes o photos in chronologica
accession number order and scans them,
and other volunteers who then take those
photos and enter the descriptions that
have already been completed into the
appropriate elds in our database.
How do you recruit the volunteers?
When someone applies to be a volunteer,
the volunteer coordinator provides a brie
description o the various projects that
we have available. I this description is
o interest, the applicant meets with thearchivists responsible, who then go over
the project in urther detail.
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Yes, volunteers must be at least sixteen
years old and must be either citizens o
the United States, permanent residents, or
holders o an A-1 or A-2 diplomatic visa.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Most volunteers work at least three
hours; some work or up to ve hours
each week.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is theschedule exible?
We dont require a specic schedule;
however, many volunteers tend to come
on specic days.
Where does the work take place?
Volunteers work in the oces o the
archives sta.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
Te project requires computers and at
least one scanner. Computer programs
include the scanner sotware, Adobe
Photoshop, and our custom-designed
database program.
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Volunteers undertake the ollowing tasks:
Assigning accession numbers (under
guidance o archivists);
Numbering photos and placing them in
photo sleeves;
Scanning photos (which are prooed by
the archivists);
Conducting research in the librarys
manuscript collections or inormation
about the photos; and
Describing the photos, either using
previously written descriptions or
writing them rom scratch.
What kind o initial training do thevolunteers receive?
We train them on photo-handling
procedures, how to scan photos, and the
process o entering a prewritten photo
description into the database. Depending
on the level o interest they express,
we then can show volunteers how to
describe photos that do not already have
descriptions.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
We have a written process or entering
photo descriptions into the database thatgoes through the requirements o each
eld step-by-step, and volunteers reer
back to that. Archivists are also available
to answer questions that may come up
about specic photos or how to word a
description.
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
When volunteers rst start, every photo
that is scanned is checked against the
original to ensure that it is a aithul
representation o the original. Once they
have been scanning photos or a while,
scans will be spot-checked beore being
added to the database. All descriptions
are checked or spelling and accuracy
by one o the archivists beore they
are veried and added to our online
photograph database.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
Lists are kept o all active photo collection
projects. All the lists have our elds:
what photos have been scanned and how
many there are; when they have been
sent to the server; when the volunteer
has completed description; and when
they are veried by an archivist. Tis goes
or both photos rom our chronological
collection and newly described photos
that are removed rom the backlog. Techronological list cuts o at the end o
the scal year when the photos were
originally accessioned; each backlog
collection has its own list. Photos are not
actually counted as being added until they
are veried by an archivist.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
A member o the archives sta pulls
this material or volunteers. All
volunteers have completed holdings
security trainingwhich is mandated
by the National Archives and Records
Administrationand a member o the
archives sta is usually present with the
volunteers when they are working on
this project.
How do you handle security issues?
As mentioned above, all volunteers
have to complete holdings security
training and have background checks
and ngerprints taken. A member o
the archives sta is usually present withvolunteers, whether they are scanning
or describing photos. Newer volunteers
are typically not let alone with original
materials or any length o time.
How do you thank the volunteers?
Our volunteer coordinator plans various
dinners and gatherings or volunteers
that work in all departments, and the
library participates in National Volunteer
Week, when we recognize our volunteers
on our website and in the museum and
library lobbies.
How do you decide i the project
is a success?
By the continued growth o the number
o photos available on our website and the
shrinking o our backlog o unprocessed
photos.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
Te Indiana Historical Societys Library
and Archives has teen ull-time and six
part-time (including paid interns) sta
members. In addition, we have teen totwenty volunteers.
Te library and archives mission (within
the IHS mission as Indianas Storyteller)
is comprised o three integral parts:
Collecting materials on Indiana
history rom all time periods and in all
archival ormats.
Preserving
the materials or uturegenerations.
Making available the materials to
anyone interested in Indiana and
Midwestern history.
For more inormation, visit
http://www.indianahistory.org/about
or http://www.indianahistory.org/our-
collections/library-and-archives
Idiaa Hirical sciyhttp://www.indianahistory.org/
Indianapolis, Indiana
Project itle
Dacciig
Contact
Steve Haller, Senior Director o Collections & [email protected]
(317) 234-0034
Institutional Information
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure,
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)oversees the project?
Our deaccession volunteer reports to
the registrar (who reports to the senior
director) and is supervised by the
department administrative assistant (who
reports to senior director).
How many volunteers work on the
project?
One volunteer works on this project.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
N/A
How do you recruit the volunteers?
Responsibility or recruiting volunteers
alls to the volunteer coordinator inhuman resources.
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
We restrict volunteering to adults.
Additionally, prospective volunteers must
have skills that match the job description
and the physical requirements o the
position. Our human resources oce
conducts a background check.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Te volunteer spends about our hours
per week on the project.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Volunteers must keep a specic schedule.
Where does the work take place?
Te volunteering is perormed in an open
oce area and in deaccession storage.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
A computer and telephone are used.
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Volunteers work is directed by the
department administrative assistant
under the registrars supervision. Using
preapproved lists, volunteers enter
inventories o deaccessioned items into
a spreadsheet. Volunteers then search
or prospective new homes (in-state
or out-o-state) or the deaccessioned
items. Initial contacts are then made
by either email or telephone to gauge
interest in the items. Prospective new
homes are reviewed with the registrar or
appropriateness. Volunteers also assist
the administrative assistant in packing
and shipping approved materials.
http://www.indianahistory.org/abouthttp://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.indianahistory.org/http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/about -
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
What kind o initial training do you
provide the volunteers?
Volunteers are trained in inventory
control and mail room operations as
needed.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
N/A
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
Te registrar checks and reviews all work.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
Te senior director periodically
monitors results with the registrar and
administrative assistant.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
Not applicable, since volunteers use
duplicate material.
How do you handle security issues?
We use a badge access system.
How do you thank the volunteers?
HR has an annual event to thank
volunteers. We also oten inormally
thank our volunteers.
How do you decide i the project
is a success?
Success is visible when there is an
increase in the available space or new
collections.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
Te Societys Library and Archives
has teen ull-time and six part-time
(including paid interns) sta members.
In addition, we have teen to twenty
volunteers.
Te Library and Archives mission (within
IHS mission as Indianas Storyteller) is
comprised o three integral parts:
Collecting materials on Indiana
history rom all time periods and in all
archival ormats
Preserving the materials or uture
generationsMaking available the materials to
anyone interested in Indiana and
Midwestern history
For more inormation, visit
http://www.indianahistory.org/about
or http://www.indianahistory.org/our-
collections/library-and-archives.
Idiaa Hirical sciyhttp://www.indianahistory.org/
Project itle
oral Hiry tracripi
ContactSteve Haller, Senior Director o Collections & Library
(317) 234-0034
Institutional Information
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure,
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Oral history transcription volunteers
report to the director o manuscript and
visual collections (who reports to the
senior director).
How many volunteers work on the
project?
One or two volunteers help with
transcriptions.
I you have multiple volunteersworking on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
Te volunteers work on dierent days and
on separate projects.
How do you recruit the volunteers?
Te human resources volunteer
coordinator recruits volunteers.
Do you have any restrictions onwho may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Te volunteer must be an adult, must
have skills that match the job description,
must undergo a background check by HR,
etc.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Each volunteer spends about our hours
per week on the project.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Volunteers must keep a specic schedule.
Where does the work take place?
Te volunteering is perormed in an open
oce area.
What kinds o equipment does theproject require?
ranscribing oral histories requires a
computer and audio transcription devices
(the specic type depends on whether the
media is tape or digital).
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Tese volunteers listen to recordings o
oral histories and transcribe what they
hear.
What kind o initial training do the
volunteers receive?
Volunteers are trained on equipment use
and editorial standards.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
N/A
http://www.indianahistory.org/abouthttp://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.indianahistory.org/http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archiveshttp://www.indianahistory.org/about -
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
Te director checks work rom time to
time.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how doyou ensure quality control?
Te director checks work rom time to
time.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
Not applicable, since volunteers use
duplicate material.
How do you handle security issues?
Volunteers use a badge access system.
How do you thank the volunteers?
HR has an annual event to thank
volunteers. We also inormally thank
them oten.
How do you decide i the project
is a success?
An increase in accessible oral histories
indicates that the project was a success.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
naial Archiv a Cllg Park(National Archives and Records Administration)
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/
College Park, Maryland
Project itle
oli Idxig f Viam Ui Award (4 sri) fr Fld3.cm Digiizai PrjcContacts
Mary Rephlo, NARA Liaison with Fold3.com
Clif Snyder, Supervisory Archivist
Judy Luis-Watson, Volunteer Coordinator
(301) 837-3002
Institutional Information
Te National Archives at College Park is
the largest modern archives in the world.
We have approximately six hundred
employees, two hundred contractors,
as well as seventy-ve volunteers. Te
building houses textual and microlm
records rom most ederal government
civilian agencies, army records dating
rom World War I, naval records dating
rom World War II, still pictures, motion
pictures, sound and video records,
cartographic and architectural holdings,
as well as electronic records.
Te National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) comprises
orty-seven acilities nationwide that
include our records centers, regional
archives, Presidential libraries, and the
Oce o the Federal Register. Nationwide
at NARA, we have approximately 3,000
employees and 1,600 volunteers.
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Tis project was completed in 2010. Te
lead volunteer worked with the volunteer
coordinator who communicated with ourNARA representative when we needed
more immediate technical assistance
rom our partner organization Fold3.com.
Te archivist responded to any issues
regarding the original records and
scanned images.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
A team o ve volunteers collaborated on
this project.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
On a printed sheet, volunteers signedup or a box to work on, indicating the
date. At the end o the day, they indicated
whether or not they had completed the
box or were in progress. When working
online, they signed up and selected a
section o records to index. Te lead
volunteer coordinated this team project
in collaboration with the volunteer
coordinator.
How do you recruit the volunteers?
Volunteers nd us through our website
www.archives.gov, www.volunteermatch
.org, and by word o mouth. We also list
our volunteer opportunities on websites
o adjacent cities in Maryland.
Te volunteer coordinator discussed this
project with several volunteers whose
technical skills and interests matched the
project. While two volunteers emerged as
potential leads, one agreed to serve as the
lead volunteer and stayed with the project
to completion. All the volunteers were
already a part o the volunteer corps and
were delighted to undertake this project.
For most o them, this was just one o the
projects they worked on regularly.
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.archives.gov/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.archives.gov/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/ -
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Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Volunteers must be comortable with
computers and be very detail-oriented. All
NARA volunteers must be at least sixteen
years o age. Volunteers also must be U.S.
citizens, legal resident aliens, or holders
o a type A1 or A2 diplomatic visa.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Most volunteered our to six hours a
week. Te lead volunteer was able to work
at home and contributed many hours o-
site.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Schedules were fexible.
Where does the work take place?
Volunteers worked mostly in thevolunteer oce, which is a processing
space, but sometimes also at home.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
Computers with Internet access have to
meet the specications o the partnering
organization iarchives.com.
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Box review: Compare the computer
images with the contents o the box to
determine i there are any pages in the
box that were not scanned or are out o
order.
Image Quality: Check that image
quality is comparable to the actual
document and that the image is
properly centered in the black border
space.
Metadata Entry: Enter the three
elements identiying the award using
the keyboard: 1) Award type, 2) Unit
Designation, 3) Date-year
What kind o initial training do you
provide the volunteers?
All volunteers participate in sixteen hours
o orientation to the National Archives, as
well as training in holdings maintenance
and records handling, and holdings
protection.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
For this project, Fold3.com sta
conducted an on-site training using their
sotware or a group o volunteers as
well as sta overseeing the project. As
the project evolved, the lead volunteer
in collaboration with the volunteer
coordinator prepared written instructions
or the team.
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
Te volunteer coordinator worked
closely with the lead volunteer to oversee
production. Tey provided updates to
archival sta.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
Te lead volunteer regularly provided
status updates and inormed the
volunteer coordinator o technical issues
that needed to be resolved. Regular
project updates allowed sta to track the
progress o the project.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
In some cases, the archivist delivered
the boxes o records ater they hadbeen scanned by Fold3.com sta in the
research acility. At other times, the
lead volunteer or volunteer coordinator
picked up the boxes rom the research
acility. Since the volunteer oce is a
secure processing space, the boxes were
stored in the room during the project. Te
supervising archivist delivered the boxes
back to the stacks.
How do you handle security issues?
All volunteers undergo a ederal
background investigation (National
Agency Check o Inquiries). In addition,
or this project, the sign-out sheet and
the database kept a record o which
volunteer worked on which box and when
the box was completed. Other volunteers
and sta work in close proximity, which
supports good security and records-
handling practices.
How do you thank the volunteers?
We make a practice o expressing
gratitude and words o encouragement
to each volunteer on a daily basis. We
celebrate volunteers at a luncheon,
a thank-you party during National
Volunteer Week, occasional milestones
celebrations, as well as smaller socials.
Volunteers also receive a 20 percent
discount at the archives store.
How do you decide i the project
is a success?
Tis project comprising 119 boxes,
or example, was completed to the
satisaction o NARA sta as well as
Fold3.com sta, and researchers have
been using the data online. Te work
exceeded expectations because o the
keen attention to detail o the team
and the lead volunteers dedication and
patience.
obert Gaugler, lead volunteer or the Online Indexing o
ietnam Unit Awards or Fold3.com Digitization Project.ourtesy of the National Archives at College Park, MD. 2012.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
naial Archiv a Cllg Park(National Archives and Records Administration)
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/
College Park, Maryland
Project itle
Rarrag ad R-labl Rcrd Grup 407, WWII oprai Rpr Fil Ui,ery 427F Cury Fil, 19411948
Contact
Becky Collier, Supervisory Archivist
(301) 837-1601
Institutional Information
Te National Archives at College Park is
the largest modern archives in the world.We have approximately six hundred
employees, two hundred contractors,
as well as seventy-ve volunteers. Te
building houses textual and microlm
records rom most ederal government
civilian agencies, army records dating
rom World War I, naval records dating
rom World War II, still pictures, motionpictures, sound and video records,
cartographic and architectural holdings,
as well as electronic records.
Te National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) comprises
orty-seven acilities nationwide that
include our records centers, regionalarchives, presidential libraries, and the
Oce o the Federal Register. Nationwide
at NARA, we have approximately 3,000
employees and 1,600 volunteers.
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure,and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Tis project was completed in 2011. Te
reerence supervisory archivist provided
training and supervised the project.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
One volunteer worked on this project.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
N/A
How do you recruit the volunteers?
Volunteers nd us through our website,www.archives.gov, www.volunteermatch
.org, and via word o mouth. We also list
our volunteer opportunities on websites
o adjacent cities in Maryland.
Te volunteer coordinator discussed
this project with the volunteer because
it matched the persons skill level and
interest. Te volunteer who was already
on board and working on other projects
was delighted to undertake this project.
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Te volunteer had to have a background
in archival practices and experience with
arrangement projects. NARA volunteers
must be at least sixteen years o age. Tey
also must be U.S. citizens, legal resident
aliens, or holders o a type A-1 or A-2
diplomatic visa.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?Tis volunteer contributed about eight to
twelve hours per week to this project.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Te schedule was fexible.
Where does the work take place?
Te volunteer worked in the volunteer
oce, which is a secure processing space,and in the stacks where this record group
is stored.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
A computer with appropriate sotware
and access to shared drives, as well as
labels or boxes, were required.
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/mailto:[email protected]://www.archives.gov/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.archives.gov/mailto:[email protected]://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/ -
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Volunteers completed the ollowing
tasks:
Identiy contents o olders;-Update older titles to refect-contents and include country
name rst;
Provide new older list with-proposed title changes to archivist;
Based on agreement, rearrange-records alphabetically by name
o country and thereunder,
alphabetically by type o record;
Re-label boxes to refect new-arrangement; and
Provide archivist with electronic-version o older listing and box
listing refecting new arrangement.What kind o initial training did the
volunteers receive?
All volunteers participate in sixteen
hours o orientation to the National
Archives and receive training in holdings
maintenance and records handling as well
as holdings protection.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
For this project, the archivist explained
the project within its larger context,
instructed the volunteer on the location
o the records, and was available to
answer any questions.
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
Te volunteer coordinator supervised the
day-to-day work and served as liaisonbetween the volunteer and archivist. Te
volunteer also provided regular updates
to the archivist.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
Regular conversations with the volunteer
enabled the volunteer coordinator to
provide advice and keep track o the
projects progress. Regular project
updates allowed the archivist to ensure
that the project was being done correctly.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
Te volunteer had access to the stacks in
which the records were stored.
How do you handle security issues?
All volunteers undergo a backgroundinvestigation (National Agency Check
o Inquiries). Stack access is only
provided to a volunteer or the time
that the individual works on a project
that requires access to the records. Te
supervisory archivist requests stack
access or volunteers. Original records are
stored in the volunteer oce, which is a
secure processing space. Other volunteers
and sta work in close proximity, whichsupports good security and records
handling practices. When exiting the
building, volunteers, like sta, go through
a bag search.
How do you thank the volunteers?
We make a practice o expressing
gratitude and words o encouragement
to each volunteer on a daily basis. We
celebrate volunteers at a luncheon,
a thank-you party during National
Volunteer Week, occasional milestonescelebrations, as well as smaller socials.
Volunteers also receive a 20-percent
discount at the archives store.
How do you decide i the project
is a success?
Tis project was completed to the
satisaction o the supervising archivist,
and the records are accessible to
researchers and sta.
assie Ghee, docent and leadolunteer or the ongoingolume Preservation Project,
th records o oreignrvice posts. Courtesy of the
ational Archives at College
rk, MD. 2008.
Howard Waterworth is part o alarge team o volunteers processingand conducting holdings
maintenance on the records o theAmerican Expeditionary Forces World War I. Courtesy of the National
Archives at College Park, MD. 2012.
Lisa Covi, docent and sta aide, hasvolunteered on several projects,including an item-level fnding
aid o Panama Canal applicationsor photo-metal checks and a boxlisting o World War II operations
reports. Courtesy of the NationalArchives at College Park, MD. 2012.
Robin Brown is part o a team ovolunteers developing an item-level fnding aid o the 101st
Airborne Division Awards casefles during the Vietnam War.Courtesy of the National Archives
at College Park, MD. 2012.
Sarah Barton, docent and staide, has volunteered on searchival projects, including
researching and writing lettresponse to reerence requShe has served on the boar
the National Archives VolunAssociation. Courtesy of theNational Archives at College
MD. 2011.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
naial Archiv a Fr Wrh(National Archives and Records Administration)
http://www.archives.gov/southwest/
Fort Worth, exas
Project itle
Aiig ParContact
Jenny Sweeney, Education Specialist
(817) 831-5917
Institutional Information
Te National Archives at Fort Worth
is made up o two acilities: the John
Burgess acility, where we hold ouroriginal records, and the Montgomery
Plaza acility, where we have a research
room with public access computers and
microlm readers. Te Montgomery
Plaza acility is mainly used by genealogyresearchers. Altogether, we have nine
ull-time employees and two part-time
student employees. We have more
than 115 cubic eet o ederal records
rom exas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, andArkansas.
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Te education specialist oversees thisproject at our Montgomery Plaza
location.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
Seventeen volunteers work on this
project.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do youorganize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
Te work is organized according to day
the volunteers each do the same kinds o
work and just pick up where the others
let o.
How do you recruit the volunteers?
Our recent opening o Montgomery
Plaza required us to recruit volunteers.
Tere was an article about the opening
o the space in our local paper, and
the writer made note that we wouldneed volunteers. Tis is how we got the
majority o our volunteers, and most o
them help patrons with amily history
research. Te special projects volunteers
all started out helping patrons and either
asked or urther responsibility, or we
thought they would be good on the
specic project and asked them i they
would be interested.
We gain volunteers when individuals
inquire about volunteering. Otherwise,we have not done any active recruiting
lately.
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Volunteers must be at least sixteen years
old and must be either citizens o the
United States, permanent residents, or
holders o an A-1 or A-2 diplomatic visa.
Also, we ask that each volunteer works at
least a our-hour shit per week.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Generally the volunteers work our hours
a week.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Te schedule is fexible.
Where does the work take place?
Volunteers who work with patrons help at
our Montgomery Plaza acility.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
N/A
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Most o our volunteers assist patrons
with amily history research. Tey also
greet patrons, answer the phones when
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
necessary, and help with any other minor
tasks that arise.
wo volunteers also work on creating an
index or naturalizations in several o the
exas courts. Te education specialist
oversees this project.
We have one volunteer who works mostlyon research and creating text or an
upcoming online exhibit and blog. Te
archives director and education specialist
jointly oversee this project.
What kind o initial training do the
volunteers receive?
Te initial training relates to what the
National Archives is and what type o
work we do. We also provide them with
training on the holdings in our region
that are most used, such as the Dawes
records.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
We periodically provide training related to
specic records, such as the recent release
o the 1940 Census, etc. We provide them
with nding aids.
Some upcoming training on Dawes
records will include exercises or them to
practice using Native American records.
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
We check in on them to see i they need
anything. I there is something that they
need, they are welcome to come to us at
any time.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
We periodically check in on the volunteers
and look at the work they are doing. Wespot-check or quality control on the
projects.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
N/A
How do you handle security issues?
Volunteers at our Montgomery Plaza
work with microlm and public access
computers, so there are no records
security issues.
How do you thank the volunteers?
We recently held a Volunteer Appreciation
Extravaganza where we had a potluck
luncheon and gave the volunteers
certicates o appreciation and NARA
volunteer pins. Troughout the year, we
provide them with little treats and notes
o thanks.
How do you decide i the project is a
success?
Success is reached when the project is
complete.
olunteer Bunnye Porter assists a patron in the
enealogical Research Room. Courtesy of theational Archives at Fort Worth.
The Montgomery Plaza acility o the National
Archives at Fort Worth. Courtesy of the NationalArchives at Fort Worth.
Volunteer Lonny Porter gives a helping hand to a v
at the Genealogical Research Room. Courtesy of thNational Archives at Fort Worth.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
naial Archiv a Fr Wrh(National Archives and Records Administration)
http://www.archives.gov/southwest/
Fort Worth, exas
Project itle
Prcig Cfdra Cur RcrdContact
Jenny Sweeney
(817) 831-5917
Institutional Information
Te National Archives at Fort Worth
is made up o two acilities: the John
Burgess acility, where we hold ouroriginal records, and the Montgomery
Plaza acility, where we have a research
room with public access computers and
microlm readers. Te Montgomery
Plaza acility is mainly used by genealogyresearchers. Altogether, we have nine
ull-time employees and two part-time
student employees. We have more
than 115 cubic eet o ederal records
rom exas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, andArkansas.
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Te archives director oversees this projectat the John Burgess acility.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
wo volunteers help process Conederate
court records.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
Te work is organized according to day
the volunteers each do the same kinds o
work and just pick up where the others
let o.
How do you recruit the volunteers?
We gain volunteers when individuals
inquire about volunteering. We have
not otherwise done any active recruiting
lately.
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Volunteers must be at least sixteen years
old and must be either citizens o the
United States, permanent residents, or
holders o an A-1 or A-2 diplomatic visa.
Also, we ask that each volunteer works at
least a our-hour shit per week.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Generally the volunteers work our hours
a week.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Te schedule is fexible.
Where does the work take place?
Te extual Research Room at our John
Burgess acility.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
Tey are currently taking notes on
inormation rom court cases and key
that inormation into a database on a
National Archives computer. Te workalso requires olders, boxes, etc.
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Tese volunteers physically process
records and then record rom them the
inormation we need to create an index o
the records.
What kind o initial training do
volunteers receive?
Te initial training relates to what the
National Archives is and what type o
work we do.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
N/A
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How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
We check in on them to see i they need
anything. I there is something that they
need, they are welcome to come to us at
any time.
How do you manage the project? Forexample, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
We periodically check in on the volunteers
and look at the work they are doing. We
spot-check or quality control on the
projects.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
Archivists or archives technicians pull the
records or them. Tey use this material
in the extual Research Room just as any
researcher would.
How do you handle security issues?
Luckily, we have not had any security
issues with volunteers. Since they are
using the archival materials in the
research room, they are monitored just
like regular researchers.
How do you thank the volunteers?
We recently held a Volunteer Appreciation
Extravaganza where we had a potluck
luncheon and gave the volunteers
certicates o appreciation and NARA
volunteer pins. Troughout the year, we
provide them with little treats and notes
o thanks.
How do you decide i the project is a
success?
Completion o the project indicates that it
is a success.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
naial Archiv Buildighttp://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/
(National Archives and Records Administration)
Washington, D.C.
Project itle
Idxig Buy Lad RcrdContact
Rebecca Martin
(202) 357-5272
Institutional Information
Te National Archives Building is located
in downtown Washington, D.C. One o
more than three dozen acilities operatedby the National Archives and Records
Administration, the National Archives
Building is the agencys rst home.
Constructed in the 1930s, the structure
is located near the National Mall and
houses the Declaration o Independence,
the Constitution, and the Bill o Rights.More than one million people visit the
sites exhibits each year. Te National
Archives Building holds Executive Branch
records related to the Civil War, Japanese-
American internment during World
War II, immigration, and much more. It
also holds the records o Congress andthe Supreme Court. Approximately 300
ederal employees, 260 volunteers, and
30 interns work in the building, as well as
several dozen contractors.
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Te project is under the supervision
o the processing sta. Te volunteer
coordinator recruits volunteers or the
project, and one o the archival processing
sta members oversees the day-to-day
work.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
Fiteen volunteers work on the project.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;
does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
All the volunteers share one computer.
Each volunteer is assigned a two-hour
shit, and three shits are scheduled each
day. Te supervising sta member pulls
boxes o records rom the stacks. At the
beginning o each shit, the volunteer
nds the marker let in the active box by
the last volunteer. Ten the volunteer
pulls the le behind the marker, enters
the relevant data, and replaces the older
in the box. When the older goes back in
the box, it is in ront o the marker. In
this way, each subsequent volunteer picks
the work up where the previous person
ended. o keep track o which volunteer
entered which data, each person working
on the project completes a log at the
beginning and end o each shit. Te
log lists the number o the rst le theperson entered that day, the number
o the last le he or she entered, the
volunteers name, and the date.
How do you recruit the volunteers?
We recruit volunteers through our
website, by word o mouth, through
postings on www.volunteermatch.org, in
local libraries, and in local newspapers.
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum or
maximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
Yes, each volunteer must be at leastsixteen years old and must be either
a United States citizen, a permanent
resident, or a holder o an A-1 or A-2
diplomatic visa.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Each volunteer commits to one two-
hour shit. Occasionally, i a slot is open
because o another volunteers vacation
or illness, someone picks up an additional
shit.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
Because all the volunteers who
contribute to this project share one
computer, each persons time is strictly
scheduled. Each volunteer is assigned a
specic day o the week and, within that
day, a two-hour slot.
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Where does the work take place?
Te work is done in one o our processing
rooms.
What kinds o equipment does the
project require?
Te project requires a desk with enough
surace space or saely examining a
case le, a computer, a pencil, a sheet
or marking where each volunteer starts
and ends within a shit, and an acid-ree
piece o card-stock or marking where the
volunteer is within a box.
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Te volunteer removes one le at a time
rom a box. Te volunteer then types
inormation that is written on the outsideo the le (the name o the applicant,
the name o the persons commanding
ocer, etc.) into an Access database. I
there seems to be a problem with the
inormation recorded on the outside o
the le, then the volunteer opens the le
and examines the original nineteenth-
century records. When nished with the
le, the volunteer returns it to the box
and removes the next le.
What kind o initial training do thevolunteers receive?
Each volunteer participates in a sixteen-
hour orientation course. Ten the
volunteer works with a veteran o the
project. Each volunteer or the project
also receives document handling training
via the Preservation Program Division.
What kinds o ongoing training or
written instructions do you provide?
Each volunteer receives an instructionsheet, and a copy o the sheet is located at
the work station. I additional training is
needed, the lead volunteers identiy the
need and provide the training.
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
wo volunteers serve as leads; they
regularly check the work o new
volunteers. Ten, ater the volunteers
have settled into the project, they
periodically check the work.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress, and how do
you ensure quality control?
Te lead volunteers perorm quality
checks. Te les are in alphabetical order
by the name o the applicant. Progress
is noted as the volunteers move through
the alphabet. Because o the scale o
the project, progress can eel slow. Forinstance, it took more than one year to
enter the les rom the letter H.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
A sta member pulls the boxes rom the
stacks, keeps them in a secure processing
space when they are in use, and reles
them in the stacks.
How do you handle security issues?
All volunteers undergo a ederal
background check; the work is done in a
secure processing area to which access is
limited, no volunteer is ever alone in the
work space, and all volunteers participate
in exit screening when leaving the
building.
How do you thank the volunteers?
We hold two big events during the yearand lots o small ones. We also verbally
say thank you every time we see the
volunteers, and we oer benets, such
as a 20 percent discount in our museum
shop.
How do you decide i the project is a
success?
Te project is successul i use o these
records increases.
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Archives And Project descriPtions resources for volunteer ProgrAms in Archives
org Jwih Muumhttp://www.ojm.org/
Portland, Oregon
Project itle
Cgrgai Bh Iral Prjc
Contact
Pete Asch
(503) 226-3600
Institutional Information
Te Oregon Jewish Museum (OJM), the
Pacic Northwests only Jewish museum,
was ounded in 1989 to examine and
preserve the rich cultural heritage o oneo Oregons earliest immigrant groups,
to bring innovative traveling exhibitions
and Jewish programs to the region, and
to build a dynamic institution embracing
Jewish identity and community. OJMs
mission is dedicated to the preservation,
research, and exhibition o art, archivalmaterials, and artiacts o the Jewish
people. It is the repository or archival
documents, artiacts, and photographs
concerning the history o the Jews in
Oregon, and endeavors to discover and
collect all materials that may help to
illuminate this history.
We currently have a sta o our ull-time
employees and a part-time archivist.
Project Details
Where is the project located within
your organizational structure
and who (e.g., archivist, curator,
volunteer coordinator, or other)
oversees the project?
Te project is overseen by the archivist
and the curator o the collections.
How many volunteers work on the
project?
Fiteen volunteers work on this project.
I you have multiple volunteers
working on the project, how do you
organize them? For example, do
you have a lead volunteer; do you
organize work according to day;does each volunteer work on an
independent piece o the project?
Te volunteers are divided into teams o
two or three. Te materials are prepared
by the archivist into rudimentary series,
and each team is assigned a series or
subseries to work on. Tey are given
one box at a time and receive training in
archival processing.
How do you recruit the volunteers?
N/A
Do you have any restrictions on
who may participate (minimum ormaximum age, education, experience,
or other)?
We do not have restrictions, but due
to the high number o community
volunteers, we have begun to limit
participants to those with either archival
experience or signicant knowledge o
the congregation or community.
How many hours per week does each
volunteer contribute to the project?
Each volunteer spends about our hours
per week on the project.
Does the project require volunteers
to have a specic schedule, or is the
schedule exible?
We ask that the volunteers work while
the archivist is present.
Where does the work take place?
Te work takes place at a group
processing table in the archives room.
What kinds o equipment does theproject require?
Te volunteers are responsible or
processing only materials that have been
accessed by the archivist and treated
or any signicant preservation and
conservation problems. Volunteers
organize materials and put them into
olders and boxes.
What kinds o tasks do the
volunteers do?
Volunteers process materials, identiy
photographs, and provide valuable
insight into the history o the collection
(since many have been members o the
congregation or ty or more years).
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What kind o initial training do the
volunteers receive?
Each new volunteer receives one day o
training in archival processing practices
and is always paired with a volunteer who
has several years o experience.
What kinds o ongoing training orwritten instructions do you provide?
Each mini project (one box) is introduced
one at a time and quickly reviewed at the
start and completion. I remain accessible
or any questions that arise, and when
several questions crop up, I hold meetings
with the entire crew or individual teams
to address them.
How do you supervise volunteers
day-to-day work?
My oce is adjacent to where they
work, and I regularly check their work
throughout the day. In addition, I meet
with the volunteers at the start and end
o their shits.
How do you manage the project? For
example, how do you track and report
the projects progress and how do you
ensure quality control?
I use Excel reports to track what everyone
is working on and how much they have
processed over time. In addition, I go
through each box upon completion to
ensure quality control.
I the volunteers work with original
material, how do they access this
archival material?
Tey are given materials one box at a time
to work with.
How do you handle security issues?
Materials must remain in the processing
area, and volunteers are not assigned
to work with any collections having
restrictions or sensitive inormation.
How do you thank the volunteers?
Tere is no ocial compensation policy,
but we give holiday gits and other small
examples o our gratitude.
How do you decide i the project is a
success?
We consider the project a success once
the collection has been entirely processed
and turned over to the archivist or nal
arrangement and description.
Members o the National Council o Jewish Women