IMHO, museums don't avoid hiring because they have a surfeit of free labor;
they avoid hiring because they lack money.  As far as I can tell, museums
are looking for money all the time for everything (if any museum
professionals out there are having a different experience, let me know!) and
having ample volunteers is not going to change that.  The fact of the matter
is that personnel is the largest expense at a museum, and among the hardest
to get funding for.  Granting agencies are happy to fund projects, and
possibly the personnel time within the project, but not a staff position.
Deb Fuller's point regarding museum fund-raising and money-management is
also well-taken - museums (along with many other non-profits) are a little
behind the curve when it comes to recent changes in the funding environment.

Some museums might feel there's no need to buy the cow when they're getting
the milk for free (for lack of a better metaphor), but my guess is that if a
museum can get 4 hours a week of your time they will be incredibly grateful,
for starters.  They will also, if they like your work, approach you first
when they do have funding, or even seek funding just so that they can have
you with them more often, or more permanently.

That's my 2 cents worth.
Erica

Erica S. Maniez
Museum Director, Issaquah Historical Society
[log in to unmask]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of TXlime
> Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 4:22 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Volunteering for museum jobs...
>
>
> It was suggested to me during a discussion last week
> that people who volunteer in museums are actually
> doing their profession a dis-service, and that while
> qualified people are willing to work for free, museums
> are never going to look for the money to employ them.
> Having been a volunteer myself, it was not something I
> had thought about...does anyone have any opinions on
> this?
>

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