Such a clearing house might be very useful.  Please, however, don't call
those of us who provide services to the museum community "vendors."  A
vendor is generally defined as "one who vends or sells, a seller."  Yes, we
provide services and are paid for our services, but selling is often a very
small part of what we do. Many of us consider ourselves museum
professionals with skills and experience equal to that of many members of
the museum community.
Regards,
Barbara Fahs Charles




From: Beth Macdonald
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 4:55 PM
Subject:
Hello, List!
Hunting around in the archives today I stumbled across a few references
lamenting the lack of a central source of services, artisans, and
fabricators that service the museum, science center and heritage community.
One such:
"Without a comprehensive list of exhibit builders, I have been forced to
tackle this project in a piecemeal fashion so far." - Thomas Willmitch
Director, The Science Center of West Virginia
Certainly, AAM and other associations provide market place referrals, and
advertising space for those who wish to purchase it, but they present a
partial view, at best of the array of talented folks desiring to serve.
Getting well rounded, competitively priced bids and proposals for upcoming
exhibits and various services can be a time consuming task for staff already
spread very thinly.
Would a moderated web page on which museums, science centers, heritage house
etc could post requests for proposals be a useful tool to the community?
Federal and state governments have long used this system to invite bids.
This need not be anywhere near as formal as those...and much more user
friendly to post!
I envision a page on which people with needs would fill in fields that
describe the services they seek, the deadline for response, and contact
information. For those who do not have access to the internet, the
information could be faxed, and the moderator would add it to the page. If
marketing circumstances require that your specific museum or exhibit is not
publicized, a blind ad and "mailbox" style response could be available. The
moderator would delete outdated posts, as necessary, or the submitter could
request that the posting be removed if enough response has been received.
It would be free to those requesting services, free to anyone who accesses
the page. If vendors desired an automatic email of new opportunities, there
would be a modest subscription fee. Additionally, the page might carry some
advertising, to help defray costs.
What do you think? I would like to hear both from those seeking services,
and those providing. Post to the list, or directly to me..whatever works.
Thanks in advance..
Beth Macdonald
[log in to unmask]
415.752.6511

Barbara Fahs Charles
Staples & Charles Ltd.
225 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
USA

tel:  703 683 0900
fax: 703 683 2820
e-mail:  [log in to unmask]

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