Obviously it is difficult to generalize, but the short answers in
relation to are all too many museums are (1) traditional curatorial work
isn't being done any more in many cases, and (2) what is that "research"
thing?!  Even in some of the largest of the national museums "research"
has become a special "business unit" to be funded and staffed separately.
No external research contracts and funding, then no research, while
allocations to research projects were a sort of sabbatical.

Three or four years ago there was some stirrings in the US Congress at
reports that US Federal funds were finding their way into at least on UK
national museum through a "sub-contract" against US Foreign Aid to a
Latin-American country, but this never got anywhere.

Patrick Boylan

========================================

On Mon, 11 Aug 1997, Arlyn Danielson wrote:

> Subject: Re: museum future - THE VANISHING CURATOR??
> Newsgroups:   bit.listserv.museum-l
>
> Dear Mr. Boylan:
> Who is currently doing the work of all the downsized curators? The
> remaining curators?  Others?  How many more can "vanish" without
> jeopardizing research and knowledge in subject areas?  I don't know if this
> sort of phenomenon is occuring in the US- or to what extent.  Does anyone
> know?
>
> Arlyn Danielson
>