3.5.2 Herbarium volunteers
Background
The continued management and maintenance of a large biological
collection is extremely labour intensive. In order to create more
resources for collection maintenance and curatorial activity, the
Gardens has embarked on a volunteer program. Volunteers are selected
from members of the public eager to assist with the maintenance and
preparation of the collection and are provided with training in
curation techniques.
Management prescriptions
Objective
The objective is to manage an active and productive volunteer program
for individuals wishing to assist with the maintenance of the
collection.
Implementation
Volunteers with appropriate technical abilities and who are eager to
work with the Herbarium collection will be actively recruited. Staff
will provide supervision, guidance and training for volunteers, who
will be encouraged to organise and supervise their own programs under
the guidance of Herbarium staff. A range of tasks will be provided
for the volunteers, from relatively simple tasks such as mounting
specimens, labelling folders and storing mounted specimens to more
complex activities.
Volunteers will be given defined entitlements of access to the
collections and facilities. They will be provided with a safe and
ergonomically sound work environment and will be covered by the
appropriate workers' compensation insurance.