To add my two cents worth:

Patrick B. said:
"credibility is in question since such a tiny percentage of museum training
course staff are willing to join ICOM - despite decades of efforts to bring
them in."

Leonard Will replied:
>
> This is worrying, because I would have thought that training course
> staff would have the greatest need to keep up with developments
> throughout the world in many subjects. Are you saying that teachers
> would join a specialist organisation devoted to teaching but that they
> would not join an organisation devoted to the subjects they teach?

Patrick B. :
IT'S A VERY SAD FACT THAT THIS IS THE CASE.  IN THE TWO OR THREE
COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE BETWEEN THEM THE MAJORITY OF SPECIALISED MUSEUM
STUDIES COURSES THE PRESSURE FROM THE UNIVERSITIES IS FOR MUSEUM STUDIES
STAFF TO CONCENTRATE ON THEIR ACADEMIC SUBJECT "ROOTS" - ART HISTORY,
ANTHROPOLOGY ETC. - RATHER THAN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND APPLICATION.

ELSEWHERE THERE HAS BEEN A LONG HISTORY OF ICOM NATIONAL COMMITTEES NOT
ACCEPTING MUSEUM STUDIES STAFF AS "MEMBERS OF THE MUSEUM PROFESSION" AND
THEREFORE REGARDING THEM AS INELIGIBLE FOR ICOM MEMBERSHIP - AT LEAST IN
THE PAST.  MY SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT MUSEUM STUDIES COURSES WOULD BE MUCH
MORE LIKELY TO JOIN AN AFFILIATED ASSOCIATION AS INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS ON
BEHALF OF THEIR STAFF AND STUDENTS - BUT WON'T JOIN ICOM BECAUSE OF THE
COST OF INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP (AND ALSO BECAUSE ICOM IS NOT SEEN AS
SUFFICIENTLY SPECIALISED).


You have both raised some important questions that hit close to home. Many
museum studies programs/courses exist in North America, and yet teaching
faculty/staff do not join either ICTOP or ICOM. Maybe Canada is slightly
better on this record with some of us from university programs, but not much
given the range of training phenomenon. Of those, only a couple of us work
in ICTOP as opposed to ICOFOM or other committees. It can really be
difficult choosing one's affiliations. Patrick, I have not noticed museum
studies folk beeing excluded from national committees. Could you give us
more information? If, so it is scandalous.

I wonder if the UK even with its high percentage of post-grad museum
studies/etc. opportunities records a high membership in ICOM, and if so to
which committee are they affiliated? I don't see them at ICTOP? Mr. Will you
will know this I'm sure.

Is the low ICOM or ICTOP membership a fault of the slow international
progress of our professionalization? Is the weak ICTOP membership number a
reflection of the weak articulation or discussion of the field of study of
museum studies/museology, and thus for the museological teaching community
to come together?

Whatever!  It seems difficulty to accept that the refinement of the ICs and
AOs following either of these solutions will  solve the larger problem of
membership.
So logically, we should reform based on what is best for the committees.

Many thanks,
Lynne Teather

> --
> Dr Leonard D Will, Membership Secretary, ICOM UK
> 27 Calshot Way, Enfield, Middlesex, EN2 7BQ, UK
>                                   Tel: +44 (0) 20 8372 0092
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> ------------ <URL: http://www.icom.org/uk/> ---------------
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