In a message dated 01-02-22 21:03:24 EST, William Maurer writes:

<< I am wondering if there is a term for an entirely wrong statement of fact
or
 wild exaggeration. A statement that certainly should have been caught by the
 director, educator or whoever is in charge of guide or docent training.
 Have you experienced this as a common thing in historic houses and the
 telling of the history? There must be a term stronger than "silly docent
 tales." >>

I've heard some volunteer docents in several museums tell some real whoppers,
and I suspect that part of the problem is inadequate or inappropriate
training.  I know in my own museum docents are not generally trained by the
curatorial staff, which I've always thought was a mistake.  In fact, some of
the docents have no idea who the curators are.  I'm not trying to generalize
about docents or docent training programs, but I've heard enough errors of
fact to convince me that there is sometimes a problem, and the innocent
public gets shortchanged and misinformed.  When one gives a tour or lecture
in either a museum setting or a lecture hall, there's no substitute for depth
of knowledge and expertise.  I'm not attempting to slam museum educators and
their programs, and my evidence is purely personal and anecdotal, but it's
clear to me that some institutions don't take seriously enough their
obligation to disseminate accurate information to the public through docent
tours.

One experience which stands out in my mind is a visit several years ago to
Alnwick Castle, the home of the Dukes of Northumberland in England.  In
describing some of the foibles of the ancestors of this family, the tour
guide mentioned that one illegitimate son of a duke, James Smithson, was so
disgusted at the way he was treated by British society that he gave his
fortune to the United States to found the Smithsonian Institution.  That's
true enough, but then she went on to say that he designed the Smithsonian
Castle.  Wrong.  He was long dead when the Castle was designed and built, and
he never visited the U.S., which is precisely what was so unusual about his
generosity.  This wasn't an earth-shattering mistake, but it was a totally
unnecessary and avoidable muddle.

David Haberstich

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