Hi Jim,
the answer to your question is quite simple: in comparison with the
German museum list, your list is still working with a lot of contribs.
The German list is more or less a public relation list. The German
museum list started once as a "wild" discussion list, but discussions
seem to be out of date. Public discussions for the sake of all have
disappeared in the German museum list, the members of the list prefer to
watch postings and minor discussions (as in parliament, in TV shows).
These discusssions have the character of substitutes of the real. This
development is comparable to the fact that "letters to the editors" have
diminished - we publish 3-4 a year, where once had been 15. And most of
them - exactly as list contribs - are forwarded by freelancers in the
museum business, not by museum specialists. The specialists read in the
background, but they remain "in the bushes".
As both lists are eager to exclude anonymous statements (for good
reasons) , there are, to my personal knowledge, three main reasons for
many specialists in museums NOT to contribute (I quote from various
statements in the rhetoric "first person" form):
1) I am not getting paid to contribute to such lists
2) I am fearing to loose my job by asking for help or reveal my opinion
3) I am fighting for survival of my job and for the survival of the
museum - I have no time for contribs.
These are my comments:
re 1): Even if this is true, it is a ridiculous argument. Everyone does
a lot of things unpaid. Contribs fight isolation, make yourself known,
help others, train communicating with colleagues, spread knowledge, make
use of a fast modern media, transfer democratic processes to the museum
community.
re 2: We never heard of people loosing their jobs because of
contributions in museum lists. But we heard of museum directors
endangering their job because they suffered from the addiction to
publish low level statements in the so-called social media /en masse.
/It is accepted by all serious providers that museum specialists//have
to upgrade their knowledge continuously and some problems can be solved,
without costs, by asking knowledgeable communities. All providers want
strong museum leaders with a vision, a goal. This includes a lot of
knowledge, but also the ability to formulate a sound opinion on new
developments. And the ability to discuss this opinion in a proper manner.
re 3: Many museum specialists have to fight for survival since decades,
not only in Corona times. Even more in a hire and fire surrounding. They
became survival specialist without formal survival training. But no one
can fight all day long. By defining a museum list contrib as a
contra-indication, it makes you fell better, it equalizes your personal
balance.
Of course, a reference to history can help to understand a certain
situation. But it needs analysis too, and the eyes-opening comparison.
Strong characters/systems learn from from one's mistakes and those of
others, and from best practise elsewhere in the world. And take the
appropriate steps afterwards.
Best
Christian
Publisher of MUSEUM AKTUELL and EXPOTIME!, member of ICOM Germany
Am 22.07.2020 um 18:15 schrieb Jim Fry:
> One of the things that has interested (dismayed) me about this list is
> how little discussion takes place here. Seems to me that as museum
> operators and historians we might do better if we as especially
> interested folks in how history views things, then maybe we should be
> talking about what current events mean. We could be helping future
> historians to tell the story of our current events. We, as
> knowledgeable persons of history, could also help shape what is
> currently happening by informing the public and our representatives
> about what happened "before".
>
> It's a little bit like suggesting that the museums collect tupperware.
> It's dirt cheap now and someday we'll want examples on display. We can
> be more proactive for our "future selves". We can also possibly help
> inform the present to possibly avoid history repeating itself.
>
> ~~What's that have to do with Michelle's posting on museums possibly
> closing? Well, that post is one side of the story. Covid bad,
> shutdowns follow, economic hardship results. But the other side of the
> question is why have we "shutdown"? What are the consequences of
> listening to just one group of authorities, and did not consult many
> other knowledgeable peoples. Should we as historians be questioning
> the why of why things happen? Do we just follow the present orthodoxy
> and let it become ingrained for the future story. Or do we perhaps
> look back through history and say this is what happened then, this was
> their response, this is how it succeeded or failed, how can we avoid
> the same mistakes?
>
> I believe we might all be better off as a society and a people if we
> historians did more to help provide some historical perspective.
>
> Jim Fry
>
> -Museum of Western Reserve Farms & Equipment
> -John Brown and the Abolitionists of Richfield, Ohio
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 11:27:57 AM EDT, Michelle Zupan
> [log in to unmask] [historichousemuseums]
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
> https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/one-out-of-three-us-museums-may-shut-down-forever-a-survey-confirms
>
>
> --
> /*Michelle Zupan*/
> Curator
> Hickory Hill & the Tom Watson Birthplace
> 502 Hickory Hill Drive
> Thomson, GA 30824
> 706-595-7777
> FAX: 706-595-7177
>
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>
> Historic homes of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc
> <http://www.watson-brown.org>.
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