Remember that security is there for security, not to interpret your museum.
If they are busy explaining something, they are being distracted from their
job. The only communication they should have with visitors is protecting the
exhibits from touching, leaning, etc., and giving VERY basic directions. I
worked as a security guard for about 2 weeks in college at a major art
museum and we were told to just say "I am sorry, I don't know." Not even to
offer the information desk as a resource- it was too complicated to give
directions and would distract you from guarding. And the bad thing was, I
really wanted to be more helpful, or at least friendly, but that only
encourages people to ask you more and therefore distracts you more. Sure it
is rude and not helpful, but try explaining to your insurance company and
the police your security was too busy explaining how a tadpole becomes a
frog to notice a burglary in progress.
If you want interpreters in your museum, have them there, but not in
security uniforms. And don't have security guards out of uniform- I know of
a museum that does that and it is very confusing as it seems that they are
being unfriendly, you can't tell they are there for security. And not all
museums need security guards in the galleries- it's not always a necessity.
Just don't mix up functions and don't expect someone whose main job is to
teach to be able to also provide adequate security, if that is what you
need.

That being said, at every museum I have ever been even slightly associated
with, the security guards are almost always the friendliest people on staff.
They often have a deep commitment and curiosity about the collections they
are guarding. They know the pulse of the visitors better than anyone else.
I've had guards tell me that children walk by an interactive with their
hands on their ears because of the noise level or that everyone stops at one
thing and needs to ask questions, the label isn't good enough. Or worse,
that noone stops in a room, they just walk through ignoring it. Just as the
old adage says your first day working for a law firm should be spent meeting
the janitor, your first day at the museum should always be spent meeting the
security guards- and not just the supervisor. And answer their questions
about the things they are guarding- it gives them a sense of greater
purpose. Security guards are often the most forgotten piece in organizing
and studying your museum, but they are one of the best out there. But also
remember, they are there to guard first, all else is a distant second.

Pamela Feltus
Curator
National Museum of American Jewish Military History



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Harry Needham [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2001 12:52 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: security officers and "hosts"
>
>
> When I joined the staff of the Canadian Museum of
> Civilization eleven years
> ago this month, there were two staff members in each of the
> galleries. One
> wore a red blazer and was known as a "host", whose job it was to help
> interpret the exhibits and otherwise assist visitors. The
> other staff member
> wore a bloe blazer as was known as a "protection officer" and was a
> traditional security guard.
>
> Apart from being an expensive way to do it, the system was
> confusing for
> visitors, who were never sure who to ask for information. Not
> long after I
> arrived, it was decided to remove the protection officers
> from the public
> galleries during the hours the museum was open and extend the
> training of
> the hosts so that they could also perform the basic security
> f8nctions (they
> had already been trained in first aid, cpr, etc., and were in
> fact a highly
> selected group of bright, multi-lingual and highly motivated
> young people.
>
> After a year of this experiement, the program manager asked
> me to evaluate
> the program, which I did, with VERY positive results. The
> five volumes of
> findings and recommendations may still be available from my
> success at CMC
> ([log in to unmask]) and the program is still working well.
> Contact the program manager ([log in to unmask]) for
> more info.
>
> Harry Needham Consulting Services Inc.
> Consulting, training & research solutions
> for heritage institutions - and others!
> 74 Abbeyhill Drive
> Kanata ON K2L 1H1 Canada
> (voice) +1.613.831-1068
> (fax) +1.613.831-9412
> [log in to unmask]
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain
> detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a
> one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The
> body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line
> e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of
> the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
>

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).