I can verify that, at least in my position. I just began heading a
department and, from looking at past memos and paperwork from five years
ago, am getting paid what the assistant was getting paid in the past.
Welcome to the "fiscally responsible" museum.  The trend in museum
employment(maybe all jobs in general, I've never worked in the for-profit
field) seems to be hiring the next person in line for the same job at half
the salary with twice as much work. I love my job, but the low salary does
make pursuing another line of work tempting. The low salary won't convince
me to change careers, but it does make me less loyal to the institution, and
directors and finance administrators need to realize that the quality of
museums are affected by the constant slashing/burning of salaries. People
are not willing to stay in positions for more than a few years if they feel
exploited, and a "revolving door" workplace is not exactly productive.



On         Wed, 13 Jan 1999 09:12:45 -0800, Catherine Kenyon wrote:

> Dear colleagues,
>
> I have recently re-entered the museum job search arena, as well as re-
> enlisted to the museum-L, and I have been shocked at what seems to be a
> decrease in wages from 5 years ago.  Yes I do remember salaries being low
> in comparison to work load and other professions, but they seem $5-8K
less
> than I recall.
>
> I'm interested in hearing from any of you who have been continuously, for
> the last 8-10 years, in hiring positions and can tell me if this is an
> actual trend, or just sticker shock.
>
> Thank you, Catherine Kenyon





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