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.