Muscarelle Museum of Art Program Guidelines

I. Mission Statement
II. Docents
III. Character and Ethical Concerns
IV. Docent Benefits
V. Reference Books

1. All docents are required to be members of the Muscarelle Museum of Art Associates.
2. An active docent is one who has served in the Docent Program of the Muscarelle Museum of Art for at least one year and is obligated to a full docent commitment for the coming year. All docents are required to be members of the Muscarelle Museum of Art Associates and to give a minimum of FIVE public tours a year. Docents who do not do their fair share of tours will lose docent benefits.
3. Attendance is required at docent meetings/seminars from September through May, generally held two Thursdays each month from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
4. Active docents are expected to attend a minimum of two other Museum activities, e.g., gallery talks, seminars, culture days, openings, etc. per year. Docents are encouraged to take advantage of tuition waived courses at The College of William and Mary and other educational opportunities.
5. Active docents are expected to present “resource tours” during the year. An outline with a bibliography and supporting materials are to be presented for the docent files.
6. The Curator of Education must be notified in writing if an absence is necessary from meetings/seminars. Two or more absences without notification from docent meetings/seminars over a period of one year will be sufficient cause to ask a docent to resign. It is the docent’s responsibility to obtain any materials from missed meetings/seminars. Docents are responsible for finding a substitute to cover their scheduled Museum tour hours if they find they are unable to meet their commitment for any reason. The Curator of Education must be notified of any changes.
7. Emergency leave will be granted for an event which makes prior notice impossible. (e.g., death in the family, severe illness)
8. Docents are requested to submit in writing if s/he chooses to resign.

1. All provisional docents are required to be members of the Muscarelle Museum of Art Associates.
2. Membership in the Muscarelle Museum of Art Docent Program requires a minimum two year commitment.
3. Provisional docents are expected to attend all training sessions and docent seminars held generally every Thursday, September through June, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
4. The provisional docent is responsible for obtaining all training materials. Provisional docents must complete all assignments and actively participate in all training sessions.
5. Each provisional docent must give a 5-minute presentation on one object in the permanent collection, a 20-minute resource tour, and a 40-minute graduation tour Resource and graduation tour outlines are to be presented to each provisional docent and additional materials are to be typed for incorporation in the docent files. Provisionals are to observe at least three group tours or outreach presentations over the course of the training year.
6. Provisional docents are required to attend a minimum of five Museum activities, e.g., lectures, gallery talks, seminars, films.
7. Two or more absences without notification over a period of one year will be sufficient cause to ask a provisional docent to resign.
8. The Curator of Education must be notified in writing if an absence is necessary from a seminar or training session. It is the provisional docent’s responsibility to obtain any materials from missed seminars or training sessions.
9. Final approval of active status is achieved upon successful completion of the training program and approval from the Curator of Education, Docent Chairperson and Docent Advisory Committee.

1. A docent may request, in writing to the Curator of Education, inactive status.
2. An inactive docent may be reinstated into the Docent Program with the approval of the Curator of Education and Docent Advisory Committee.
3. A leave of absence of not more than three months may be granted upon written request to the Curator of Education. If an absence is to exceed a three month period the Docent will be considered inactive.
4. Docents are not entitled to receive docent benefits while on inactive status.

A. Reliability
It is important that each docent feels a sense of responsibility and an obligation to the Museum and the docent group as a whole. A reliable docent is one who is well prepared, dependable, and punctual.

B. Preparation
Within a docent team, a lead docent will organize of tour information and be point of contact for other docents and tour group. Using resource materials available from the Museum as a starting point, each docent must prepare her/himself to represent the Museum. All materials from lectures and training sessions, research notes, catalogues, etc. should be maintained to provide accessible reference for future needs. Resource materials from docent files must not leave the Museum, but may be copied on the copy machine.

C. Cooperation
Although the docent program comprises people leading individual tours, the group relationship should never be forgotten. A docent must constantly strive to raise performance quality and be prepared to help others in the group toward this end. At times, docents with special training, education, or experience, may be called upon to demonstrate tours for the entire group. This should be considered a privilege and an obligation to the group.
Any problems with tours, tour plans, or other program activity should be discussed with the Curator of Education as soon as possible.

Docents should be familiar with and abide by the Museum’s Code of Ethics. 

A. Docents are allowed a tuition waiver for auditing one class each semester at The College of William and Mary.

B. Docent are issued a library card from the College’s Earl Gregg Swem Library with full library privileges.

C. In an agreement worked out with the College’s Parking Services, Docents that contribute a minimum of 60 volunteer hours at the Museum are issued a General parking sticker free of charge, which allows them to park only in Faculty/Staff parking on campus. However, if a docent is taking at least one course at The College of William and Mary, Parking Services requires the docent to purchase a student parking sticker.

D. Docents are given the opportunity to participate in a number of field trips and special docent only events.