There has been a great deal discussed on this issue and while I don't
necessarily want to beat a dead horse there is one aspect of this issue that
hasn't been mentioned and that is the whole issue of free speech and who
defines it.  This issue is close to my heart because I often run into
docents who feel they are free to say anything they wish because they have
the constitutional right to do so.  My reply, however, is that they DO NOT
have the right represent anything they wish as official museum policy, which
is what they do when they say something in museum uniform/badge/hat or
whatever, on museum property, and on museum time.  The same can be said for
correspondence either traditional or electronic.  When you write something
on letterhead or on company equipment on company time, it can be interpreted
, especially legally, as official museum speech.  (Notice how many of us put
disclaimers at the end of our posts to mitigate this).  As a supervisor who
has to deal with people who say sometimes outrageous things in front of
visitors, I feel it necessary to defend the right of employers to monitor
speech when it that speech officially represents the museum.

Our institutions can be held liable for things we write on letterhead and on
electronic equipment, as well as say in public.  And if they can be held
liable they must have the power to monitor.  Many institutions keep master
correspondence files to keep track of all letters and many also keep files
of all email sent in and out for the same reason.

That having been said, I also believe that the least intrusive and
controlling such monitoring is, the more you will get out of your employees
or volunteers.  Ethical behavior by all concerned coupled with well
publicized, written policies is the best route to go.

Matthew White
Director of Education
B&O Railroad Museum