Hi Jim,

the answer to your question is quite simple: in comparison with the German museum list, your list is still working with a lot of contribs. The German list is more or less a public relation list. The German museum list started once as a "wild" discussion list, but discussions seem to be out of date. Public discussions for the sake of all have disappeared in the German museum list, the members of the list prefer to watch postings and minor discussions (as in parliament, in TV shows). These discusssions have the character of substitutes of the real.  This development is comparable to the fact that "letters to the editors" have diminished - we publish 3-4 a year, where once had been 15. And most of them - exactly as list contribs - are forwarded by freelancers in the museum business, not by museum specialists. The specialists read in the background, but they remain "in the bushes".

As both lists are eager to exclude anonymous statements (for good reasons) , there are, to my personal knowledge, three main reasons for many specialists in museums NOT to contribute (I quote from various statements in the rhetoric "first person" form):

1) I am not getting paid to contribute to such lists

2) I am fearing to loose my job by asking for help or reveal my opinion

3) I am fighting for survival of my job and for the survival of the museum - I have no time for contribs.

These are my comments:

re 1): Even if this is true, it is a ridiculous argument. Everyone does a lot of things unpaid. Contribs fight isolation, make yourself known, help others, train communicating with colleagues, spread knowledge, make use of a fast modern media, transfer democratic processes to the museum community.

re 2: We never heard of people loosing their jobs because of contributions in museum lists. But we heard of museum directors endangering their job because they suffered from the addiction to publish low level statements in the so-called social media en masse. It is accepted by all serious providers that museum specialists have to upgrade their knowledge continuously and some problems can be solved, without costs, by asking knowledgeable communities. All providers want strong museum leaders with a vision, a goal. This includes a lot of knowledge, but also the ability to formulate a sound opinion on new developments. And the ability to discuss this opinion in a proper manner.

re 3: Many museum specialists have to fight for survival since decades, not only in Corona times. Even more in a hire and fire surrounding. They became survival specialist without formal survival training. But no one can fight all day long. By defining a museum list contrib as a contra-indication, it makes you fell better, it equalizes your personal balance.

Of course, a reference to history can help to understand a certain situation. But it needs analysis too, and the eyes-opening comparison. Strong characters/systems learn from from one's mistakes and those of others, and from best practise elsewhere in the world. And take the appropriate steps afterwards.

Best

Christian

Publisher of MUSEUM AKTUELL and EXPOTIME!, member of ICOM Germany

[log in to unmask]">

One of the things that has interested (dismayed) me about this list is how little discussion takes place here. Seems to me that as museum operators and historians we might do better if we as especially interested folks in how history views things, then maybe we should be talking about what current events mean. We could be helping future historians to tell the story of our current events. We, as knowledgeable persons of history, could also help shape what is currently happening by informing the public and our representatives about what happened "before". 

It's a little bit like suggesting that the museums collect tupperware. It's dirt cheap now and someday we'll want examples on display. We can be more proactive for our "future selves". We can also possibly help inform the present to possibly avoid history repeating itself. 

~~What's that have to do with Michelle's posting on museums possibly closing? Well, that post is one side of the story. Covid bad, shutdowns follow, economic hardship results. But the other side of the question is why have we "shutdown"? What are the consequences of listening to just one group of authorities, and did not consult many other knowledgeable peoples. Should we as historians be questioning the why of why things happen? Do we just follow the present orthodoxy and let it become ingrained for the future story. Or do we perhaps look back through history and say this is what happened then, this was their response, this is how it succeeded or failed, how can we avoid the same mistakes?

I believe we might all be better off as a society and a people if we historians did more to help provide some historical perspective. 

Jim Fry

-Museum of Western Reserve Farms & Equipment

-John Brown and the Abolitionists of Richfield, Ohio

On Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 11:27:57 AM EDT, Michelle Zupan [log in to unmask] [historichousemuseums] <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

 

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/one-out-of-three-us-museums-may-shut-down-forever-a-survey-confirms  

--

Michelle Zupan

Curator 

Hickory Hill & the Tom Watson Birthplace

502 Hickory Hill Drive

Thomson, GA  30824

706-595-7777

FAX: 706-595-7177

Visit us at www.hickory-hill.org or on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter: HHEducation

Historic homes of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc. 

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Posted by: Michelle Zupan <[log in to unmask]>

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