Linda:
Here we go again.  You certainly come up with dillys.
 
We need to set some parameters and definition - break your question up into
smaller ones.
 
Different kinds of collections require different levels of care and
attention, different amounts of human resources.  A collection of basically
stable geological specimens probably take fewer conservation resources than
a collection of vulnerable ethnographic objects.
 
Different collections pose different types of problems.  These could be
disciplinary.  Art galleries tend to have smaller collections, of higher
monetary value.  Historical collections have many objects which come in sets
(clothing, dishes, etc) possibly reducing the number of records to be kept.
Archaeological collections may contain literally millions of objects from a
single site.  Here the amount is often dependent upon the research goals of
the excavating archaeologist.
 
Can I imagine the question behind the question?  It seems to me that a
numerical comparison of the ratio staff : collections is a reasonable
statistic to gather - but to what use will it be put?  If it is then used to
generate an ideal staff : collection ratio target for museum human resource
managers - well this thinking is a tad simplistic.
 
To my mind, a more powerful determining factor in the staffing level is the
mandate of the museum.  Many, many museum activities these days are not
directly dependent on collections care.  It seems to me that the number of
discrete projects, the number of areas of responsibility, the population
base the museum serves and the geographical region its services reach are
all factors which must be included in the final equation.  I don't think it
is possible to quantify all those.
 
Good luck,
Barbara
 
 
>Dear list members:
>This, my computer friends tell me is a "godzilla-gram". Please provide the
>answer to this question "How many staff members do you have in your
>institution and how many objects are in your holdings?" It would be nice to
>know your visitorship also but it is not as important as the first question.
>When doing the research for the Collections Managers position description it
>became apparent that other museums have way more staff than the Vancouver
>Museum does. This may not be of great interest to the list so please post to
>my e-mail: [log in to unmask] Wouldn't it be nice if I could get some more
>positons open at the Museum. Not likely, but lets see how other museums are
>staffed. Thanks to all, Linda Tanaka
>
>
 
___________________________________________________________________
 
Barbara J. Winter
Department of Archaeology
Simon Fraser University
Canada  V5A 1S6
tel: (604) 291-3325
fax: (604) 291-5666
email:  [log in to unmask]
___________________________________________________________________