This has nothing to do with culture. It has to do with trying to manage an
institution with available resources and having a right, as professionals who
end up being held responsible for ultimate success and failure, to decide who
is useful and who is not. Age has nothing to do with it, unless it transforms
an experienced, knowledgable and useful volunteer into an actual part of the
collection which you can't deaccession.

Hervé Gagnon, Ph.D.

Peter Rebernik a écrit:

> Isn't it wonderful that old people still find a meaning in life when
> participating in a museum! Even if they can't quite handle it
> professionally, and annoy the young, eager and ambitious personnel. What is
> culture all about, if it is only for the successful and the young? What is
> culture all about, if it is just fun?
>
> Greetings, from OLD Europe,
> Peter
>
> PS: Get old yourself - and then we talk on further.
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>  | Peter Rebernik, Dipl.-Ing.
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> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Wayne and Mary <[log in to unmask]>
> Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
> An: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Datum: Montag, 1. Februar 1999 19:53
> Betreff: Re: volunteer horror stories
>
> Let me give you a couple of examples:
>
> We have volunteers that have been with the museum for nearly
> 25 years.  Many of them can no longer negotiate the stairs to
> turn on the lights for patrons. So they don't. The curator (also
> volunteer) wanted to install a light switch at the bottom of the
> stairs that would handle the upstairs lighting. Board members
> said no - what you need to do is get younger volunteers and not
> allow the older ones that can't go upstairs to sign up for the
> season.
> We're talking here about folks bordering on 90 years old  - who
> never read the guidebook from year to year because they figure
> there is nothing new in it etc. etc.
>
> Then you have the volunteer on the board who comes to 1, possibly
> 2 board meetings a year - which is clearly in contradiction of the by
> laws concerning attendance for board members and who can be
> ousted for non attendance - but have never been told to vacate the
> spot by the President - because  - after all, they ARE volunteering
> their time. What has happened here is that there are only 6 or 7
> board members who take an active interest in the doings of the board
> and in the running of the museum.  The rest only show up for the
> annual meeting and the volunteer dinner.
>
> Regards
>
> Mary Haegele