At 06:49 AM 7/28/97 GMT, you wrote:
>continue-In the history and some art fields the curatorial profession is
>already much smaller and the skill level lower than it was ten years ago.
>Until the 1980's nearly every museum had curators who were expert in some
>area.

        I'm not sure the knowledge level is lower, or that the field has
begun to shrink for that matter.  People may know different things, but
there are still knowledgable curators in museums across the country who do
interesting and innovative research.  We know so much more and present so
much more in museums about the lives of ordinary men and especially women
and minorities.  A great deal of the basic research in material culture and
folklife has been done by museum curators and interpeters.  I don't see how
a case can be made for a decline in expertise among curators and myuseum
staff generally.

         >They were knowledgable about glass or local history or Southern
>furniture or folk art or costumes or widgets.

        And they still are.

         > Now the typical curator has a good background in visitor
services, computer catalogs, a little knowledge of legal issues, taken a
couple of courses in non-profit accounting

        And that's a good thing!  Try and keep a museum running without
knowing these things.  Such knowledge is necessary and people who know it
are essential
>and so on but subject matter is kind of an after thought.  Sort
>of a one size fits all.

      I'm not sure what museum training program you are refering to, but
without denying that there may be one that treats subject matter as an
"after thought", I have never seen or read about one in more than 20 years
in the field. And in the course of developing our curriculum I investigated
a large number of programs' curricula.  Everyone in the field knows that
subject matter knowledge is important and every program I've looked at
includes course work to develop both that knowledge and the tools for
developing it in the course of a professional career.

        In terms of growth, while museums and cultural institutions
generally remain understaffed, there has been some growth, largely related
to the rise in heritage tourism. It hasn't produced enough jobs for those
wanting to work in the field and qualified to so, and it hasn't produced
adequate salaries, and it may not last, but the problem is not,
profession-wide, declining employment opportunities.  And, it most
definitely is not a decline in knowledge among museum professionals.


William H. Mulligan, Jr. [[log in to unmask]]
Associate Professor of History
Director, Public History Programs
Forrest C. Pogue Public History Institute
Murray State University
Murray, KY 42071-0009
Phone:(502) 762-6571
Fax:  (502) 762-6587
Home Phone:(502) 753-9033