Barking in unison : shared stories of volunteer workers at a local SPCA shelter, 2008

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Cas

Identifier: b2271260

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate Communication program. The holdings are bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts degree.

Dates

Creation: 2008

Creator

Castaldo, Dawn L. (Dawn Lynn) (Author, Person)
Novek, Eleanor (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 33 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpt]

Animal shelter volunteers represent an interesting group to study for several reasons. These volunteers often work in stressful surroundings. They are caretakers for the very animals they sometimes must put to death. Resources are often scarce. There never seems to be enough money, enough space, enough time. And yet these unpaid lovers of animals keep coming back, day after day, acknowledging the odds but refusing to succumb to them. How do they make sense of this environment?

This study is a qualitative examination of how volunteer workers at a local animal shelter do just that and how they cope with the everyday tensions of shelter life through the use of informal types of workplace discourse including humor and shared stories. The goal is exploratory in nature. It is an attempt to shed light on how these stories function as a means of communication that help volunteers make sense of their environment.