Smithsonian American Art Museum

Video docents reach beyond the walls of the museum to bring our collection to thousands of viewers
of all ages throughout the country.  Learn what we do and how your museum can broaden its reach,
too.  We will focus on developing program content based on inquiry techniques, marketing and
building partnerships, and what technology museums can use to reframe the museum experience.

Presenters: Becky Fulcher, Rogers LeBaron, Susan Linden

Bowers Museum

Enhance basic tour information with supplemental information/graphics using electronic
media.  From magnifying details to illustrating storytelling, using an iPad or tablet allows docents to
further explore the story behind the artifact with museum guests.

Presenters:  Rhonda Nalisnik, Terry Fyne

Everson Museum of Art

A docent committee created and manages a website that informs and educates users, as well as encourages docents to contribute to the site. The workshop shares experiments with different organizational schemes and hands-on exercises to help you create the ideal website for your docent association.

Presenters: Barbara Flintrop, Peter Moller, Linda Ruddy

Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA

The docents at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston set out to substitute a digital notebook for three-ring binders and note cards, allowing information to be easily shared in the museum or through smartphones, tablets and laptops. Through the use of videos, online demonstrations, slides and personal observations, the presenters will share how they learned to use online tools to easily access the ideas and information important to docents. The presenters will demonstrate and explain the fundamentals of a digital collection notebook, describe the outreach, orientation and training provided to docents, and share a list of recommendations for others using similar online tools.

Presenters: Annie Short, Barbara Selenkow-Rippberger, and Maureen Sweeny

Theme Category: Technology

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

You would love to incorporate iPads into your docents' tours, but there are so many challenges:  creating easily accessible content, training docents, addressing resistance.  Fear no more!  Learn how we conquered all of these obstacles.  Participate in a Hands-On workshop culminating in the presentation of your own iPad tour!

Presenter: Jan Lachman, Co-Presenter: Maureen Murray Fox

North Carolina Museum of History

In this session you will learn how the North Carolina Museum of History developed their online docent training program; its pros and cons; technology needed; costs involved; as well as see examples of online teacher workshops.  You will take away ideas of how this could work in your museum.

Presenters: Debra Nichols, Susan Horton

Dali Museum

This session is a best practices case study in creating historical legacies using a variety of mediums.  The presenter will share processes and approaches to creating "legacy story" to capture important knowledge from dedicated long time volunteers, docents, board members, retired directors, and staff.

Presenter: Joann Dye, Docent
Co-Presenter: Grace Pamperien

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

Find out how free/low-cost, easy to use online tools have been integrated into the FAMSF daily museum work to enhance richer tour experiences, continuing education programs, scheduling and reporting, and better communication.  Details and steps for success will be provided.

Presenter: Kathleen Holliday, Co-Presenters: Jessica Gaynor, Mina Shea, and Ellen Tollen

Philadelphia Museum of Art

This presentation will describe the creation and function of a secure, proprietary website that allows members of a docent group to access information and manage individual responsibilities. With our website you can create a schedule from docent-generated requests; report individual hours; automatically accumulate statistics for visitors and volunteer hours; and make a docent directory, an event calendar, and continuing education information available online with instant access.

Presenters: Maryl Hitchings, docent and Website Coordinator; Massimo Boccuni, independent professional web designer

San Jose Museum of Art, California

Are you interested in using technology to improve your presentations and/or better engage your audience, docent peer group, or museum? Docents from Art in the Dark, a digital art appreciation program serving sixth- to twelfth-graders, will share ideas for how to use technology to more effectively connect, collaborate, and inspire. Whether ready to apply these ideas to their own programs, or merely curious about what technology can offer, attendees will leave with practical ideas, tools, and resource documents to meet their own objectives.

Presenters:  Toby Fernald, docent (twenty-seven years) and Art in the Dark Chair (spearheaded the program); Tricia Hill, docent (eight years), Art in the Dark Co-chair, and Art in the Dark program developer; Karen Lantz, docent (thirteen years) and Art in the Dark public relations developer