>Date:    Fri, 17 May 1996 03:33:05 -0400
>From:    CinqD <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: I want to know about smll museum.
>
>Hitoshi Yamamura,
>
>I work at a small museum, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society,
>Buffalo, New York, USA.  The museum was established in 1863, our
>collection has approximately 100 thousand artifacts and 150 thousand
>library items.  We have 14 full time staff members (40-50 hours per week),
>4 part timers (17 hours) and 50-75 well trained volunteers.  We get
>approximately 40% of our funding from city/county government, 20% from
>grants (state/federal/private) and 20% from earned income (admissions,
>programs, memberships etc.).  In a small museum we all do many tasks in
>addition to our primary fuction.  Computers can help make the work load
>easier to manage.  We depend on our volunteers, so we train them well and
>treat them like gold.  They add greatly to what you can accomplish and
>some have expertise in areas of what museums do (business, typing,
>exhibit/facility maintenance, public relations etc.).  If you are
>resouceful and not afraid to ask for help, I think you will find people to
>be interested and willing to help.  Good Luck, I wish you much success.
>If you would like to talk more please send e-mail.
>
>David
>Administrator, Dept. of Research and Interpretation

Hello all,  my question is this...  What is the general consensus as to the
criteria for calling yourself a "small" museum, a "medium" museum, or a
"large" museum?  We have 3,000 artifacts (including books and documents),
one full-time permanent staff member, 1 full-time temporary staff member, 2
temporary half-time staff members, and occasionally a university student
will volunteer a few hours.  We have a one room gallery of 1,324 sq.ft.
Compared to the Erie County Historical Society I guess we'd be classified
as "tiny!"  Is the distinction between size purely subjective, depending on
personal experience?  Or are there actual criteria with which to classify
museums by size? (assuming a common definition of the term museum).

Cris Wolf

Collections Manager
UIHC Medical Museum
8024A JCP/200 Hawkins Dr.
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 356-8475  FAX (319) 356-3862

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