Just adding to responses to Susan Patterson of St Louis Art Museum's
query about museum guards as ambassadors:
 
Probably the most radical UK experiment has been in Glasgow Museums.
The post of guard or attendant has been abolished, and replaced with
that of museum assistant, a role which may involve any aspect of the
manual, security, retail or 'customer care' functions of the museums.
Staff are trained in these roles and can proceed through three levels
of seniority.  The intention, I believe, is to integrate that career
path into a unified staff career structure within the museums
service there, so that some staff who join the service as museum
assistants have a better chance of getting into management.  I
believe this has already happened in one or two cases.
 
It's a biggish organisation - some 500 staff in all - and given such
a huge change in the culture of the job some aspects of the scheme
work better than others.  It is however a really ambitious attempt to
improve the working conditions of a very large proportion of those
who work in the business - as well as the service for visitors.
 
Glasgow are not on line as far as I know but their fax is (0)41 357
4537
 
David Phillips, Programmes in Art Gallery and Museum Studies,
History of Art Dept., University of Manchester UK
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