The Bird Book: An Ornithology Volunteer Preparation Guide

Abstract

The purpose of "The Bird Book" is to bridge the gaps in onboarding and specimen preparation materials for ornithology volunteers at the Burke Museum. After the pandemic, the department faced a drop in volunteers to help with preparing specimens, cataloging, and digitizing all while gaining a backlog of specimens. This guidebook streamlines the onboarding process and enriches the program itself by providing a tiered system for volunteers to progress through. Consisting of four tiers, each increasing the number of birds needed to prepare to move forward, volunteers will unlock access to new tasks, such as training new volunteers, going on collections trips, and independent research. This new system hopes to increase volunteer retention and offer museum and lab experience to emerging professionals and students. A tiered system also gives volunteers goals to work toward if they wish to be challenged, while helping the department complete necessary collections related tasks. While the main goal of this project is to increase the number of volunteers to eventually decrease specimen backlog, the heart of this project lies in the care that the ornithology and museum community takes to preserve specimens for future generations. Community and connection are found in volunteer spaces, and this project focuses not only on the work but also on the people who are doing it and what we are doing it for.