You might also want to look at Robert Janes' book "Museums and the Paradox
of Change" published by the Glenbow Museum/University of Calgary,
particularly pages 34-35 on his dealings with the Museum's board duringa
period of great organizational changes.

At 06:20 PM 06/02/99 -0700, you wrote:
>This thread has somewhat played itself out by now, but I've been unable
>to get to my email because of opening deadlines and visiting family.  I
>appreciate Herve's response, as I'm preparing to write a very carefully
>drafted letter to my board describing precisely this problem--they are
>the most active volunteers and committee chairs, insist on having final
>decision-making power in ALL matters--curatorial, financial, and
>otherwise, and have utterly no idea that this is a difficulty.  Needless
>to say, I am their first Director.  We are doing our best to stay open
>and cooperate...I hope...
>
>On a lighter note, shortly after beginning a position as the curator of
>costume at a mid-size art museum, I was familiarizing myself with the
>collection records.  One piece, an 1870s day dress, had undergone
>significant "conservation".  Actually, a volunteer had taken it upon
>herself to completely dismantle the dress, line the shattered silk, and
>put it back together.  She carefully documented the process both in
>photograph and text.  The last line of her text read something like
>this: "...I was able to reconstruct the dress even better than it had
>been originally, as I had fabric left over!"
>
>Pat Roath
>[log in to unmask]
>or: Central School Museum, [log in to unmask]
>
>
>Hervé Gagnon wrote:
>>
>> > The worst that can happen to a museum professional working in a
small-town museum is when board members and
>> > volunteers are one and the same. Take a board of about 10 directors who
also make up most of the volunteer staff and
>> > you have an explosive situation: most of the times, a board member will
neither accept nor be remotely aware of the
>> > fact that once he/she works as a volunteer on a specific project,
he/she does so under the authority of the very
>> > employees he/she's responsible for as a board member. The most
immediate results of this are loss of control over
>> > project budgets and board interference in staff-level activities - not
to mention very unpleasant tension.
>>
>> Hervé Gagnon
>
>
Jane Sproull Thomson