by Jill Carlson, class of 2013
There are six standing Docent Council committees that organize, plan, monitor, and evaluate life in the docent community. They are: Library, Communications, Education, Standards, Tour, and Enrichment. This year these committees have been asked to set quarterly goals and report their progress to Docent Council.
Committed to keeping docents up to date and informed, the Communications Committee will report on the work of the committees. Look for these brief reports spread out over several weeks on The Bridge following the end of each quarter. The first of these follows.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The Education Committee works on docent education and training.
Goals for 2023 included conducting a new docent raining class; assessing the success of River Direct Training assessing the need for additional walking tours for 2024; and developing and delivering All Docent Day program.
Q4 goals include completing interviews and selecting candidates for the 2024 class; finalizing training materials and speaker for the 2024 class; and conducting All Docent Day, November 11. Information sessions for potential applicants for the class of 2024 have been completed, and interviews have begun.
LIBRARY COMMITTEE
The Library is delighted to report that:
- The self-checkout feature of the Barry Sears Library online catalog is now active and has been advertised on The Bridge.
- Two new computers have been installed in BSL.
- Purchasing and processing of new books is ongoing.
- Articles featuring new books as well as books of special interest have been published on The Bridge.
- The committee is preparing a statement on library usage for November submission to Docent Council.
- A non-circulating reference collection has been dedicated to and designated as the Donna Gabanski Collection and is listed as a special library in the online catalog.
- Review of all print materials in the file cabinets is scheduled to begin in October.
- Committee is conferring with CAC staff about options for increased shelving, conserving and displaying rare books, comfortable seating and improved signage.
- Committee is planning a display of books by CAC volunteers.