Jun

A date with destiny: Castle docents meet the Smithsonian Learning Lab

Anne-Marie Gilliland chats with two Castle docents about how they are continuing to share the Smithsonian’s mission despite the COVID-19 shutdown.

Before I fully jump into my interview, let me first say, I love working with volunteers. Volunteers freely give their time and their passion to support something they hold dear. I am forever learning from volunteers. I am always so proud to share and explain what my job is (because most people I know really have never heard of being a volunteer coordinator). An experience I’ve recently had with two of the docents I work with at the Castle, Linda Feldman and Laura Shafer, perfectly illustrates why volunteers are such a source of joy for me. Now, onto the interview…

So how does one coordinate volunteers during a pandemic when all of our museums are closed not only to the public, but to volunteers and most staff as well?

Mostly, it’s via chatty emails or Zoom meetings.

In one of my emails, I sent a link to the Smithsonian’s Learning Lab, “a free, interactive platform for discovering millions of authentic digital resources, creating content with online tools, and sharing in the Smithsonian’s expansive community of knowledge and learning.” I had gone to a virtual orientation session about it and came away with a million and one ideas on how to use it. However, because it is so versatile, and because I know the Castle volunteers are so creative, I didn’t share any of my ideas with them. Instead, I sent them the link and said, “go play.” I wanted to see what they could come up with on their own.

I was not disappointed.

Linda and Laura ended up creating their own Learning Lab Collections that focus on Castle content. I had a conversation with them about their experiences with Learning Lab and it was wonderfully inspiring to hear. I’d like to share it with you.

What got you excited to start playing around in Learning Lab?

Laura Shafer: “You got us excited. I figured out it was for anyone who wanted to learn something. [Linda made hers first] Once I saw what Linda did, I wanted to make my own.”

Linda Feldman: “I was looking for another way to connect with the Smithsonian because I miss it and I miss my brain working that way. Learning Lab is really rich.”

One thing that came out during this conversation, that really excited me, as someone who loves a good collaborative project, is that they did work together on refining their collections.

Laura: “Going back and forth and editing each other’s—it was really fun.”

Now that you’ve used Learning Lab what would you like to see your fellow volunteers do with it?

Laura: “It’s a way to collaborate on and learn a new tour together. And it’s a way for individual docents to share what is special about their tour [a theme or topic they explore in depth] and a way to share resources.”

Linda: “It’s a way to share a question that is frequently asked and do a little research and be able to show the answer—and actual documented research that shows what the answer is. It’s also something we can do at home, which is lovely.”

I came away from this chat even more excited of the potential Learning Lab offers both volunteers and visitors (virtual or otherwise) of the Smithsonian. I also came away strongly reminded, again, of why I have one of the best jobs out there. The generosity of spirit and the passion for learning that runs so deeply through the Smithsonian volunteer corps is of heroic proportions.

To check out Linda and Laura’s collections please see the following links:

Joseph Henry, scientist, inventor, educator, first Smithsonian Secretary: Once perhaps the most famous U.S. scientist

Check out this collection, created by Castle docents! It can be found here: http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/haaaAbo5zPPEXGyh

James Smithson: What’s in a name?

Check out this collection, created by Castle docents! It can be found here: http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/nuw75VADKeDRfwHe

About the author: Anne-Marie Gilliland, Castle Volunteer Coordinator

Anne-Marie has worked the last three years at the Castle managing the docent, ambassador and Visitor Information Specialist programs. Prior to that, she worked at National Museum of Natural History. Anne-Marie grew up locally and started her Smithsonian journey first as a visitor and then a volunteer.