Jodi - I owe you an apology too - the situation here has been SO AWFUL that I
didn't react as coolly as I should have.

I am so relieved by your message - I really regretted not waiting longer to
think about how to respond... thank you.

I've worked in museums before - and hopefully will again. When we make
decisions as a board, I am very "pro-labor" because of it. Fortunately, there
are three other MS/MA directors... we're trying to protect the collection
before our terms end.

What I'm dealing with here is a group of older folks who adore the curator -
he is a great guy - but they have no idea how a museum should be run. He has
little formal MS education, and while well-meaning, some mistakes have
occurred because of it.

The lack of a collections policy led to artifacts being painted [ACK] and
otherwise treated as another board member's personal possessions... and the
board at the time couldn't see the problem. If you take all your museum
training and the high ideals we're supposed to promote - turn it upside down
and that's where we are.

You're right about the job of a director... policy is only part of it. We also
raised 20K in 6 weeks... so some good things are happening.

Thanks again for your comments - I hope I can be of help to you at some point
in the future.

Best regards, Laura