who needs volunteers?

[Mickey Rowe <rowe@psych.ucsb.edu>]

Apologies for the cross-posting... A few times a year people contact
me asking for information about digsites where they might be able to
work or at least volunteer.  I usually direct them to Syracuse's web
page listing summer field camps:

http://libwww.syr.edu/research/internet/earth/fieldcamps.html

That site lists college courses -- which are probably more involved
and more expensive than what people typically have in mind.

I suspect that a lot of people would prefer something shorter and less
formal, and I do think there are a *lot* of people that would be
interested in participating if they could find the opportunity.  I
also suspect that a lot of people in the field or prep lab could
benefit from more, eager volunteers.  

Is there a site that tries to bring researchers and potential
volunteers together?  If there isn't, I think it would be a good idea
if someone took some initiative and created one.  Researchers planning
to go to the field or overseeing fossil preparation could provide the
webmaster with information about what they plan to do and how
volunteers of different experience levels could contribute to those
plans.  The site would provide contact information so that potential
volunteers could provide the researchers with a short biography
arguing that they could fulfill the researcher's needs.  If they made
a compelling case, the researcher would establish a dialogue leading
to a mutually agreeable plan of engagement.

Would anybody like to volunteer to maintain such a site?

-- 
Mickey Rowe     (rowe@psych.ucsb.edu)