As a museum professional who volunteers at a small railway museum I
am sometimes dismayed at the lack of encouragement such museums get from
"real" museums.  Often the atitude is we are playing with a big train
set.

I will admit that much of it is self-inflicted by well meaning collectors
gathering up any object that is even remotely connected to railroading.
I once heard the suggestion that if it had been carried on a train then
it should be in the museum (thankfully a short lived idea)

Here in Smiths Falls the railway comprised a major part of the social
fabric of the town for over a hundred years.  Railroading was not just
another industry, it was a way of life that was very different from
the average person's.  A museum is an ideal medium to interpret this
special history.

When I first volunteered at the Smiths Falls Museum I was surprised that
none of the other volunteers in the group had any museum experience.  I
took it upon myself to get proper museum training, starting with a few
courses, acquiring a certificate and eventually obtaining real paid work
in another heritage institution.  It is still an uphill battle but I
am beginning to see daylight in terms of collection policies, management
and programming.  There is still a long way to go but I think that a
specialized museum can tell a story just as well, and sometimes better
than the more general museum.

To this end I am always looking for ideas on how to make the Smiths
Falls Railway Museum a better museum.  Any suggestions would be welcome.


Robert L. Vaughan
Smiths Falls Railway Museum
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Robert L. Vaughan
[log in to unmask]
Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bk681/index.html