Museum Volunteers is a practical handbook on the use of volunteers as interpreters within museums. Drawing on key examples of outstanding practice from the UK and North America, this book forms a unique resource on volunteerism.

This book:

* reviews research on the changing priorities of museums

* examines a form of volunteering that has provided benefits to all participants in an activity similar to museum interpretation - student tutoring

* describes and analyses the strengths of five exceptional volunteer programmes in Canada and the USA

* reports the finding of five volunteer programmes set up and managed by the authors in the Science Museum, London

* examines the development process of the pilot studies and the consequent establishment of a permanent volunteer programme in the Science Museum, London

* discusses the mutual benefits that volunteer programmes can bring to museums and volunteers

* offers suggestions on the practical day-to-day management and administration of volunteers.

This book is essential reading for anyone involved with the management and administration of a museum, or, is thinking of offering their services to a museum as a volunteer.