Docent Programs

[JTheotonio]

How many of the museum boats have a program for "qualifying" docent volunteers?  And what sort of program do you have? What does a docent need to know?

[Darrin]

On Torsk we do have docents onboard and we have tried throughout the years (that I have been onboard) to get them to do a basic submarine qualification card so that they can explain everything correctly.. BUT that hasn't happened in the 4 years that I have been with the boat and there are a number of good docents who will ask the questions when we are on the boat on saturdays so they can tell what the equipment really does.

darrin

[JTheotonio]

Ever consider a simple guide book for them to use - maybe a FAQ with answers and pictures to accompany the text?

[Lance Dean]

The Virtual Tour of the Silversides DVD is great for learning the hows and whats.

http://www.submarinemuseums.org/forum/index.php?topic=109.0

Member "croesch", aka Charley Roesch, sat down with the same submarine manual that we are using and learned it well.  He then goes through the Silversides talking about every little thing.  Of course it doesn't cover EVERYTHING but it's still very comprehensive.  I learn something every time I watch it.

[Rick]

We do not have a "docent program" at thsi time.  I am concentrating so much on the over all presentation of the park right now.   (IE redeck the boat, paint the boat.  restor the WWI cannon that was used against the germans in WWII restling with volunteer personalities, ect)   We have a great museums and park here.  I have a vision as to how big and beutiful this place can be if I can get everyone on board and start working with me (not on ther own agenda). 

sorry got off topic there a little.  I also do not mean to offend anyone.   I know that everyone will think I am totally mad once they see what I have in mind for this place.     

As always,  open to suggestions......

[MWALLEN]

As always,  open to suggestions......

Can I refer you back to your May 8th, 2008 email and other discussions we have had regarding volunteer work.

We discussed things like taking ownership of a project by producing a written "scope document" so that they know what they want and you know what they want.  The plan outlines anticipated time lines, materials, etc...  This will keep people focused, prevent people from working on 20 different things and keep eveyone accountable.

I don't have an answer...that is your job     I'm just reminding you of what we've talked about.

[Rick]

MaRK A
Good at keeping me on track.
This program is still very much in effect.    Even to the point tha tI must work in these confines.

Remember I am just comming down off a very stressful week to which you were not a part of.       

[MWALLEN]

Remember I am just comming down off a very stressful week to which you were not a part of.

I'm not sure I understand this statement.

[Darrin]

From what I see he is gratefull that you are keeping him on track and in focus.. 

I do know that we have the same kind of program onboard and it works really well, what that means is that any major project has to go in front of the board members in form of a proposal and then hopefully it will be approved and those working on that project have submitted what they think that they will need for that project and a time line as to when it will be done. With the Air systems and now with the restoration of the Fairbanks Morse it has been proposed that a multiple signature system to make sure that everything is done and done correctly is in place so that it isn't done half a$$ed i.e. someone tagging a system out and another verifying it or in our case putting a system back in operation and another verifying the system has been restored back to operational status before putting it back into service, because when you get back to getting the larger operational systems back online there is more potential for damage to the boat and to the tourists then before and liability is a HUGE deal.

Just my .02 worth
Darrin

[JohnG]

Ok....this shows my age and inexperience (maybe because it's almost 3 in the AM) but what is a Docent program?

[Darrin]

Docents are the folks who give the tours, why that aren't called tour guides is beyond me

[JTheotonio]

Docents are the folks who give the tours, why that aren't called tour guides is beyond me

Leave it to academic circles – they just can’t use simple terms:
In American English (but not in British English, where the word is not used), a docent has two meanings. Firstly, a professor or university lecturer; and secondly, the corps of volunteer guides who staff museums and other educational institutions. Docent is derived from the present participle (docens, docentis) of the Latin word docere, meaning "to teach".

[Paul Farace]

Oh for a perfect world!!!!


Yea, I want to do a training program for COD's few occasional tour guides, but we can't seem to get them on the same page. Thankfully, 98% of what our visitors want to know about COD is answered in our tour brochure (the best I have seen anywhere, and holding that honor since 1989 when it was first published).  That claim is not a blind brag, but a challenge to all to do better (possible, but not attempted)... 

It makes me crazy when I shadow a tour and someone on our "crew" spouts wrong, or reallllly wrong information!  I try to be kind when I correct them in private.

As for crew working on various projects:  on COD we have a work list that collects dust. Our skipper believes that workers will only do what they want to do. You have to find someone who thinks your project is fun, and then you do it. It "smokes" any kind of schedule, but its the way you do things when you have no paid restoration staff.

You end up having to sell your program... just like the way they do things in the real world, especially when researchers go looking for grant money!  You have your needs and you look at the grant makers' needs and see where there is any overlap.


Paul

[JohnG]

I guess that means for this past summer me and Joseph were the Batfish's unofficial docents.

[JTheotonio]

Oh for a perfect world!!!!

I guess the only good is that the tourist has no clue of right or wrong, so they don't know misinformation when the hear it. Still it would be good if the information was correct.  No easy task when your needs depend on volunteers.

A factor in maintaining any of the museum boats will become harder as time goes by because we have no diesel boats in operation.  There will be a lack of experience growing with every passing year.  Some day the information about how things work will come only from the few manuals left over. The sounds, smells, sights, and remembrances will be lost to future generations.  Today we may have the original Wright Brother’s airplane, but the experience of flying it is gone. We can only imagine what it was like to fly their machine.  It’s something to consider. (Yes not long ago some one did build a replica to fly a similiar machine, but it's just not the same.)