<<It seems to me that one way a "good museum" serves society and its members
is
precisely BY saving objects.>>

There is no argument that one of the major ways for a museum to serve
society is to preserve and present a collection of objects. My intention in
the original post was to emphasize the need to overcome the, all too common,
tendency of some museum folk to act as if people don't matter and only
objects matter. This attitude is not limited to museum people, I have seen
it in librarians, park personnel, and other "public servants," but it is a
serious problem in the museum world.

To share one example: This fall participants in our annual meeting were
offered a chance to visit the Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque,
N.M. Two bus-loads of scholars, administrators, etc., who have gathered from
throughout the country and some foreign lands signed up. Unfortunately for
us the lead bus driver was unfamiliar with the route and missed the proper
exit; leading to us arriving 20 minutes before closing instead of the
"policy" cut-off time of 30 minutes. Despite attempts to negotiate a quick
visit the buses were turned away. I think that such an attitude stinks and
is highly counter-productive for an institution. The 10 minutes of extra
work would have won appreciation for the organization and its people-this
way there is only resentment of bureaucratic inflexibility. I also have
experienced and understand the tendency of a few folks always showing up
just before closing time. But there is a big difference between a few stray
individuals who are unreasonable in their demands and over 60 professionals
who were delayed by circumstances beyond their control. On the other hand, a
few days later my wife, I, and a friend spent the day museum hopping in
Santa Fe. Last on our list was the Museum of Folk Art. As luck would have
it, we showed-up 15 minutes before closing. The staff allowed us in and gave
us passes so that we could return the next day to finish viewing at our
leisure. Guess which organization will get our support?

No denigration of serious museum work and people who do it was ever
intended. My post was more in line with a request for greater awareness of
our direct service role. Perhaps the way to achieve that is to come up with
a way for museum personnel to earn part of their living by receiving tips
from the public (same as wait personnel). This way each museum worker could
make a personal decision whether to focus on objects exclusively or to pay
attention to members of the public also.
nburlakoff

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf
Of David E. Haberstich
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 1:49 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: To Post Staff Contact Info on Web Or Not To...

In a message dated 1/22/2004 9:24:53 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< A good
 museum's purpose is not to save objects but to serve the society and its
 members. >>

 Anyone can serve society.  Restaurants, banks,
artists, musicians, manufacturers, police, and tax collectors all serve
society.  Museums do it in specific, unique ways, and one of the most
fundamental is
by "saving" objects and all the nitty-gritty work of collecting, research,
registration, conservation (and yes, exhibition and interpretation) that
such an
enterprise entails.  I'll never understand why so many museum folks are so
hell-bent on denigrating such essential activities.

David Haberstich

David Haberstich

=========================================================
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).

=========================================================
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).