Publications, 1978-2009

Descriptive Entry

This accession consists of a record set of volunteer issues of and special supplements to The Torch, the monthly employee newsletter published by the Office of Public Affairs. The Visitor Information and Associates' Reception Center (VIARC) collected this subset of The Torch in order to pull together all documentation of the various volunteer programs at the Smithsonian Institution. Prior to 1985, the January issue of each year contained several articles related to volunteers and, in most years, a list of all volunteers across the Smithsonian Institution. These articles were alongside articles covering other topics. Beginning in 1985, a special volunteer supplement was placed in the January issue each year. During this later time period, only the supplement, and not the entire newsletter, was maintained by VIARC in most cases. In 2009, the supplement occurred in the April issue, the last print issue of The Torch.