Hi Tracy,
Your post intrigued me, having worked with small museums all my career,
including lots of MAP reviews and IMLS grants read.
Has anyone ever quantified the actual number of museums in various budget
categories? What if over half the museums in the U.S. qualify as small
museums when judged on budget? There are so very many little bitty ones,
mostly involved with local history. Right here in quite rural Butte County
in Northern California we have not only the Butte County Historical Society
(with no direct or financial connection with county government) but at least
11 other small local museums of which four belong to the City of Oroville,
and three that are recent startups. It's a bit scary, frankly.
Probably someone from AASLH should be on the panel, as they have done a lot
with the small history museums. (Are there anywhere near as many small art
museums or other types?)
Definitions? Good questions.. You asked: "Is it staff size? Building size?
Budget size? Does it depend on the programmatic offerings?"
As I read IMLS grants it seems that budget was a critical factor, but there
must also be some inverse relationship that equates to building size and/or
number of facilities being supported, as well as other factors such as
membership, in-kind donations, volunteer staff, etc. that might be factored
into an equation based on multiple factors. That said, though, budget size
is critical to staff size (mitigated by another variable, the volunteer
factor), and staff size to a large extent generally does dictate ability to
provide program.
I also wonder if there is any wisdom or comparative attributes from the
church world were there are recognized small, mid-sized and large
congregations. (Plus the 'mega' churches).
Consider me in you pile of eager philosophers.
Lucy Sperlin (retired volunteer Museum Director)
Butte County Historical Society
(Budget $45K)
Oroville, California
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Tracy Sullivan
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 1:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: What is a small museum? Seeking AAM panelists
Hi folks. The Small Museum Administrators Committee of AAM is putting
together a panel for the 2008 meeting in Denver. The focus? Defining what a
small museum really is. Is it staff size? Building size? Budget size? Does
it
depend on the programmatic offerings?
We're looking for participants from institutions that consider themselves to
be
small, extra small, or extra extra small. If you have an opinion on the
matter
and want to join the debate, please let me know!
Thanks!
Tracy Sullivan
SMAC-AAM Program Chair
[log in to unmask]
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