ABSTRACT

Many of the functions of a museum are contradictory. This chapter discusses the aims and objectices of museums, and puts the role of volunteers into context.

Volunteers are both a potential resource and an audience. Volunteers can help museums to support their core aims by giving their time actively to assist with and contribute to the work that the museum does, or by raising money. Simultaneously volunteers are on the receiving end of many of the museum’s services and are a significant and influential audience. For these reasons, the case for volunteers is here woven into a discussion on the basic functions of museums; we argue that the management of volunteers can be effective only if these functions are clearly understood, prioritised, and articulated.