Jennifer,  
        My recommended reading material to familiarize yourself with
the museum profession is exactly the same as Vincent's  response,
which I pasted below.  However, I will not beat around the bush as to
what you will find in the archives.   I would guess that well more
than 50% of the postings have to do with looking for jobs and about
low salaries for those who find them.  Salaries, or I should say low
salaries, are an ever recurrent thread on MUSEUM-L.  Non-profit
museums are notorious for wanting new employees to have the best of
credentials and yet for paying fast food eatery salaries.  It is just
a fact of life of this field.  You need to read the threads in the
archives and then ask yourself if this is really what you want.  One
frequent and surprising answer is that the interest, the challenge,
the atmosphere and the associates are so positive that many are
willing to sign on.  If on the other hand you aspire to have a nice
apartment, a nice car and do a lot of things, once you land a job, you
are not likely to find them here.  My point is not whether you should
look for a job in museums but if you do, do it with your eyes open and
with a greater knowledge of the experience of many others.  Many of
whom woke up with an MA in Art Appreciation, tens of thousands of
dollars in student loan debt and a  job that puts them on the lower
rungs of the economic ladder and they angrily and frustratingly wonder
how they ever got there.  You must make your own decision, but do it
in an informed way.

I wish you well,

John Bing


Subject: Re: Recommended reading?
From: Vincent Lyon <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 16:49:08 -0700

You must absolutely read the archive of this newsgroup.  I have found
in
following here, that it gives an excellent idea of work place
conditions to
expect, as well as a broad profile of people with whom you might be
working
(if you are lucky and know the right people and are able to get a
job.)

On Mon, 14 Aug 2000 16:50:16 -0400, Jennifer wrote:

>I am a student getting my BA in Museum Studies. I am relatively new to the museum field and was wondering if anyone had any reading recommendations for books to get me more familiar with the museum profession. Anything I must read or stay away from?
>
>Thanks,
>Jennifer Lynn
>Tusculum College
>Class of 2001
>Go Pioneers!

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