Hello all,
while there are some interesting points like the nap room (I wouldn't
call it that but think to have a quiet room to sit down an relax away
from the galleries is in general is a good idea), others would require
what was severely reduced the last few years: staff. Staff to keep the
museum open in the evenings, staff that explains why certain things
are important for the protection of the artifacts, staff that does
high quality tours. Nothing beats personal interaction, but you need
well-trained staff and that means investing money. Personally, I think
it's money well invested, much better than into technological gadgets
that need maintainance and are outdated in no time - but I observe
that the general thinking of politicians and donors is exactly the
opposite.
I'm a little concerned about the idea the author expresses in "premium
guided tours":
The reasoning of the author is: a volunteer docent provides
low-quality content while the paid educator will provide high-quality
content. Well, we all know that this is not true, that there are
millions of excellent guided tours every year by highly qualified
volunteers and I guess each of us knows at least one case of a paid
educator who just isn't good at guiding tours. So, the payment isn't
the issue, the training of the educators, paid or unpaid, is.
Providing "premium guided tours" puts the museum in a difficult situation:
- Who will guide those tours and who will not? Picking some docents
for "premium" means unequal treatment within a certain staff group
which causes a huge motivational problem. Letting only paid staff do
the premium tours is an affront towards the volunteers.
- What message does your institution convey if they offer "free" and
"premium" tours? On the one hand you try to reach out to people who
can't afford expensive education on the other hand you tell them that
there is better information for those willing to pay for it?
Just my two cents.
Best wishes
Angela
Angela Kipp
Collection Manager
TECHNOSEUM, Mannheim, Germany
www.technoseum.de
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Quoting Katherine Hoppe <[log in to unmask]>:
> Hello, fellow listers,
>
> This article was posted by a friend of mine who manages a National Guard
> museum in Oklahoma. What strikes me is that, many of the points that are
> made seem like they could be solved by more education in preservation and
> conservation directed towards the public. What do other people think?
>
> http://www.forbes.com/sites/sethporges/2014/04/26/our-museums-are-broken-these-5-fixes-can-make-them-fun-again/
>
>
> Katherine Hoppe
> George Washington University
> Washington, DC
>
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