I appreciate both Barbara's and Linda's recent comments re:
collection manager positions.  The changes they describe in
Canadian museums are happening everywhere - not just in Canada.
There is a substantial trend to follow the corporate lead in
'downsizing' without a serious concern as to the effectiveness
of such efforts.  Even if only the result of attrition,
remaining staff are forced to cover more functions purely out
of necessity.  And as Barbara mentioned, job titles are kept,
without a lot of regard for what the titles were originally
intended for.
There is, of course, another pressure for museums to make more
information more accessible.  Because collections are the
primary source of information in museums, a collections
professional can't ignore this trend.  One can act either
in a defensive mode,
only reacting to the demands and restrictions made by others
(whether inside the museum or out), or one can take a
leadership mode and offer the information in ways that make the
most sense for your situation and for your institution's
mission.  Like it or not, the institution has to find a way to
deal with the information aspects of the collection -- but the
collection professional has the responsibility to continuously
remind the administration that the other aspects of collection
management and care can not be ignored.
 
Definition of a particular job position depends on the
insitution's mission, immediate goals and objectives, and
available resources.  I am not in favor of advocating a
collection manager=information systems manager... if the
institution needs that function, however, the colleciton
manager may very well need to be an administrator for
information services; maybe be responsible for finding a
'partner' arrangement with a university computer services dept.
to carry out the tasks involved.... or something comparable.
With a union, I don't know the degree to which it is feasible,
but in general within the museum profession we will have to
make more use of consultants, of contracting specific functions
out to outside staff -- meaning that full-time permanent staff
continue to become more of the generalist and the administrator
or manager, and less of the specialist.  ONly the the largest
institutions will we have the luxury of having specialists...
 
Cynicism? or a reality check?  museums have to respond to
societal trends, and that includes economic and political
ones.  My two cents, anyway.
--
Paisley S. Cato, Ph.D.                          e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Curator of Collections                          phone:  703-666-8634
Virginia Museum of Natural History              fax:    703-632-6487
1001 Douglas Ave., Martinsville, VA 24112