I think the best way to find local museum groups is to ask a local museum employee.
I've seen two of the Chicago groups named here already, I can think of five or six
more without too much brain strain. Each group targets a different aspect of museum
work and each has different "rules" for joining.  The Curator's Round Table, for example,
is a "by invitation only" peer group meeting with specific by-laws while the CMEG
is open to anyone with an interest in museum exhibition. Educators, registrars and
conservation professionals also meet with regularity.

I think the networking practice a new professional would get by calling colleagues at other area
museums and aksing them about these types of groups would be almost as important as attending
the meetings themselves.

Don't overlook the web. There's a web site for the umbrella group of State Museum Associations, almost
every state association has it's own web page, many of these link to both local and national groups.

Don't forget the six regional associations, they have web pages with links to state and local sites.

And there's a big one, what's it called... Oh Yeah. The American Association of Museums.
Their web site has links to the everexpanding list of Standing Professional Committees
(SPC) and Professional Interest Groups (PIC).

It's not that hard to get connected once you start looking.

Diane Gutenkauf
[log in to unmask]

On Fri, 11 Jan 2002 16:04:49 -0800, Indigo Nights <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Ok, this one IS mine, but it's precipitated both by
>the questions in this series and some
>behind-the-scenes dialogue I've had this week.
>
>QUESTION 5:
>Is there a museum-related organization/support group
>specifically for people in your area (city,
>county/state/province/borough, country) you believe
>other museums professionals would benefit from and
>should join?
>
>If yes, where would they need to go to get additional
>information and/or membership?
>
>
>=====
>Indigo Nights
>[log in to unmask]
>
>Looking for a job?  Try:
>http://victorian.fortunecity.com/stanmer/414
>

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