Business First - What is the CVG?

The Collections Volunteer Group (CVG) is an organization started in the fall of 2007 by graduate students in the Public History Program at the University of South Carolina with an interest in collections management. The goal of the group is to supply extra hands to museums located in or near Columbia, South Carolina for collections-based projects. As an independent student initiative, a designated student coordinator contacts local institutions, develops feasible projects, and schedules volunteers. Though still in its early stages, the group has enabled emerging museum professionals to gain more hands-on experience in their chosen field and to provide help for institutions in need.

What Can Volunteers & Participating Institutions Expect?
Volunteer members in the CVG participate in several projects every semester, each taking 1-2 days to complete. Projects range from conducting inventories to documenting collections with digital photography to assisting in re-housing and condition reporting. Tasks sometimes originate from an institution's desire to further an on-going project with a boost of man/woman power. In other instances volunteers will tackle small-scale projects that can be accomplished using 5-10 volunteers for a single day. The activities of each project are at the discretion of the hosting institution and their supervising staff members but will be negotiated by the student coordinator prior to the beginning of the project. Ultimately, volunteers work to accomplish the needs of their host within the established timeline.The collections staff from the hosting institution is always on-hand to supervise the activities of the project. If the institution does not have a professional/volunteer collecions staff member, the student coordinator will seek the participation of other local museum professionals. Each project, regardless of length, begins with a brief talk from the supervising professional. The individual provides information on how to execute the task at hand, how the project fits into the larger work of museums, and will provide resources on the activity for future reference. Additionally, the student coordinator will collaborate with the supervising professional to describe the activities accomplished in terms that will help students to strengthen their resumes and prepare for future interviews.

Our Larger Goals...
In the end these projects serve as both volunteer activities and learning experiences. They provide students with membership in a service organization and hands-on collections experience. Although not all volunteer activities will involve direct handling of collections, the activities will ensure an enhanced knowledge of collections stewardship and best practices that will benefit the students in their professional development.