Another way these "inaccuracies" get
in our interpretation is by docents
listening to "experts" who are taking
tours.
    On the first tour of the day the
docent hears the expert give inaccurate
information, for the sake of argument
the expert says [insert inaccurate
information here].
    On her (or his) second tour the
docent says something to the effect of
"A historian on a recent tour told me
blah blah blah." and by the last tour of
the day this is a common fact with no
reference to the "expert".
    I remember two such experts on the
same day at a historic house I used to
work at. In the morning I was informed
that a corner cupboard was definitely
German, later the same day it was
expertly identified as English. Our high
priced appraiser listed it as American.
    I tell my docents over and over to
never believe what the folks on tour say
about an object. If they give
conflicting information let the Curator
know and we will look it up.

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).