A docent is an educator, often found in museums or institutions, who receives extensive training and volunteers to educate the public. Faculty members can also work at universities, acting as guest lecturers compensated on a per-class basis. They hope to attract people to the institution’s collections and encourage future generations of researchers and collectors.
A docent is an educator, most often in a museum or institution setting. The term comes from the Latin docere, to teach. Faculty members can also work at universities, although the title has different meanings depending on the country in which the university is located. Faculty often volunteer their expertise and labor and are an important part of public outreach programs designed to educate, intrigue, and help.
Within a university setting, a faculty member acts as a kind of guest lecturer. He or she is usually not part of the university’s regular staff and is usually compensated on a per-class basis. This type of teacher generally has the same qualifications as a full-time teacher. Different universities use faculty a little differently, and at universities with libraries and museums it is quite common to find someone acting in a mentoring capacity rather than a professor.
In the context of a museum, institution or organization, a docent is an important part of the team. Often, he or she volunteers because of a personal interest in the museum’s collections or the organization’s cause. He or she receives extensive training on collection, the types of questions people ask, and how to handle a variety of social situations. Upon completion of the training, the docent is usually given an official tag or uniform so guests can identify him.
Documents can be found in museums, parks, botanical gardens, zoos and a variety of other institutions. When among public collections, they are generally available to provide guidance and answer questions. They may also lead guided tours or other public outreach programs, such as feeding animals at a zoo or touch tanks at an aquarium. By educating the public, the faculty hopes to attract people to the institution’s collections, perhaps encouraging future generations of researchers and collectors.
In some cases, a faculty member has access to museum collections in exchange for acting as a guide. Researchers can act as faculty, which is exciting for the audience as they can ask the researcher directly about the collection and the research being carried out. Especially in natural history museums, this is often the case, and it can encourage members of the public to volunteer as well, after interacting with someone who is passionate about the research or work being done.
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