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]

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