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Volunteers
mount plants for the Department of Botany.
Write
to:
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Mary
Sangrey
10th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW
NHB MRC 106, Room 59A
PO Box 37012
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
U.S.A
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The Smithsonian Story
In
1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will
and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated
that, should the nephew die without heirs, the estate should go
"to the United States of America, to found at Washington,
under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment
for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."
Smithson
died in 1829. Six years later, in 1835, his nephew died without
heirs and President Andrew Jackson announced the bequest to the
nation. On July 1, 1836, Congress accepted the legacy bequeathed
to the nation and pledged the faith of the United States to the
charitable trust. In September 1838, Smithson's legacy, which
amounted to more than 100,000 gold sovereigns, was delivered to
the mint at Philadelphia. Recoined in U.S. currency, the gift
amounted to more than $500,000.
After
eight years of sometimes heated debate, an Act of Congress signed
by President James K. Polk on Aug. 10, 1846, established the Smithsonian
Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents
and a Secretary of the Smithsonian.
Today,
the Smithsonian Institution houses over 142 million objects, artworks
and specimens in its 16 museums and 7 research centers. Creating
lifelong memories of discovery for visitors is one of the principle
goals of the Smithsonian.
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Updated:
10 September 2008
Smithsonian
Institution
National Museum of Natural History
Volunteers
& Volunteering
Here's
your opportunity to share your time, talents and enthusiasm; meet
interesting people; and discover more about our natural history.
All individuals renewing or starting a new volunteer
appointment at the Smithsonian are subject to successful
clearance of a pre-appointment background investigation,
including pre-arrival completion of several standard
forms plus fingerprinting. - details
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VOLUNTEERS
Do
you enjoy visiting the Museum? How about becoming
a volunteer? Volunteers can be found in every corner
of the Museum, from greeting guests at the front door
to working alongside research staff nested deep within
the labyrinth of collections.
Volunteers
currently fill almost every type of position and work
in almost every office and department of the Museum.
Volunteers
range from school students to retired people and come
from all different walks of life but share in a common
commitment and desire to be involved in the work of
the Museum.
We
couldn’t open our doors and provide visitors,
guests, and researchers with the high quality experience
they's come to expect from the Museum without the
enthusiastic commitment of our volunteers.
Volunteer Qualifications & Requirements
•
minimum time commitment of 2 months
• 6 hours per week is required
• must be at least 14 years old*
*
If a minor (under the age of 18) you can only perform
safe, sedentary office type work.
Volunteer Benefits
•
20% discount at Museum gift shops
• free IMAX ticket each week
• access to staff seminars and programs
• income tax deductions for travel expenses to
the museum
• learning and having FUN!
Become a Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer
Contact
Smithsonian's Volunteer office! Applications for becoming
a volunteer may be submitted at any time. For further
information or an application, contact:
VIARC-BVP
Smithsonian Institution
phone: 202.633.2987 (voice/tape); 202.357-1729 (TTY)
e-mail: bvpvolunteer@si.edu
Or
print the application
form and mail the completed form to the address
above. You may include a résumé (maximum
2 pages e-mailed separately), if you wish. Upon receiving
your application, someone from VIARC will contact you
to schedule an interview.
Volunteer
Placement
For
information about unique opportunities to join the
activities of the National Museum of Natural History,
please contact the VIARC office. For a sample of projects,
visit the NMNH
web posting. Some placement options include:
Education and Public Programs
Volunteers
Wonderful
opportunities are available to help with school programs,
Discovery Room and Discovery Cart programs, FossiLab,
and the Insect Zoo.
Learn
more:
Docent Programs
Docents
serve as volunteer teachers who provide group
learning experiences in the form of museum tours,
demonstrations, or instruction in special activity
areas. Here are some things docents do:
-
Provide tours for school groups. These are conducted
on a prescheduled basis and are designed to
supplement the classroom curriculum or accommodate
a specific study interest.
- Offer highlights tours. These are generally
available to the public on a walk-in basis and
provide an overview of some of the popular and
significant museum exhibitions.
- Host special interest tours, demonstrations,
and hands-on activity areas. These offer an
in-depth look at an exhibition, a collection,
or a discipline. Some occur on a regular walk-in
basis; others must be prescheduled.
- Participate in outreach programs. These include
providing an introduction for an upcoming museum
visit or a unique educational experience for
such community groups as nursing home residents.
Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer
Do
you like to sew? How about volunteering in the
Department of Botany mounting plants?
Do
you like puzzles? How about volunteering in
the Department of Anthropology's pottery processing
lab?
Unique
opportunities are available to join the behind-the-scenes
activities at the National Museum of Natural
History by working with the Museum's scientific
staff on research topics, technical projects,
or collections investigations.
Learn
more:
Paleontological Training
Program
 Here's
your chance to receive some training in preparation
for volunteering in the Museum's Department
of Paleobiology! The Paleontological
Training Program is designed to acquaint
interested members of the public with fossils
and the history of life, as well as methods
of paleontological collecting, conservation,
collections management, and the nature of research
at the Museum of Natural History.
Interested?
Sign up using the on-line registration
form
Translation
Services
We
also seek volunteers for our Translation Services.
Here you can translate documents, correspondence,
and journal articles for Smithsonian staff.
Translators generally work at home at their
own pace, but occasionally, may be called upon
to provide oral interpretation assistance for
official visitors during meetings and conferences.
REQUIREMENTS FOR VOLUNTEER
APPOINTEES
All
academic and volunteer positions at the Smithsonian
are now characterized as Non-Critical Sensitive.
Placement in a position requires successful
adjudication of a pre-appointment background
check. If local to the DC area and reporting
for fingerprinting in-person to the Smithsonian
Office of Protective Services, we anticipate
the background check process to take approximately
10 - 14 days. If non-local, please allow at
least 4 weeks for this process to complete BEFORE
beginning your position. All individuals, U.S.
citizens and Internationals, seeking to volunteer
at the Smithsonian must undergo a pre-appointment
background investigation before the appointment
can begin if:
-
Requesting an appointment in-residence for
4 weeks or longer
-
Meeting the 18 years or older specifications
(i.e. Minors, those 16 & 17 year olds
are exempt)
Volunteer
nominees are required to complete an OF 306
Declaration for Federal Employment, a standard
form issued by the Office of Personnel Management.
The OF 306 is available at the OPM web site
as an on-line fill-in form at: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf.
Nominees
are also required to complete an SF 87
Fingerprint Chart (fingerprint card). The SF
87 will be mailed directly by the Smithsonian
to individuals seeking to volunteer. The SF
87 is not available electronically and cannot
be sent via e-mail.
Non-local
(to DC/NY) nominees must take the SF 87 to their
local law enforcement agency or courthouse to
obtain fingerprints. A minimal fee is usually
involved. The nominee must then mail the completed
OF 306 and SF 87 to the Office of Protection
Services.
GENERAL
MAIL: Please send your response via
the US Postal Service to:
Karen
B. Perry
Smithsonian Institution
Office of Protection Services
Personnel Security Division
P.O. Box 23793
Washington, DC 20026-3793
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We
recommend that, minimally, you select First
Class mail for timely delivery. To help ensure
quicker service we suggest USPS Priority Mail
and advise that you request Delivery Confirmation
to track and confirm delivery of your response.
EXPRESS
MAIL:
Should you wish to use a delivery service (FedEx,
UPS, etc.), address your response to:
Karen
B. Perry
Smithsonian Institution
Office of Protection Services
Personnel Security Division
Capital Gallery Building
600 Maryland Avenue SW, Suite 4160
Washington, DC 20024
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If
the nominee is within commuting distance to
Washington, DC, they may hand-deliver the completed
OF 306 and be fingerprinted on-site at no cost.
In addition, nominees having difficulty obtaining
the proper fingerprint at their home location
may request a deferment to be fingerprinted
at the Smithsonian upon their arrival to DC.
The
Smithsonian Office of Protection Services is
located at 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 4036.
Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30
a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
If
you have questions regarding the process, or
the status of your submitted documents, please
contact Karen B. Perry, Chief, Personnel Security
Office phone: (202) 633-1722 or e-mail: ops.pso@si.edu.
The
Smithsonian Office of Protection Services (OPS)
contracts the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) to conduct all investigations. Based upon
the investigation results, OPS determines the
nominee's suitability for volunteer positions
at the Smithsonian. The turnaround time for
investigation results is about 10 days from
the time information is received by OPS from
the nominee.
OPS
will notify the Volunteer Coordinator when an
investigation is closed. They will then contact
the nominee to provide further detail.
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Scientific Community
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Sep 08: