>One of the things drummed into one in library school is that library science
>isn't just cataloguing or conservation or reference, it is a whole field,
with its >own philosophy and its own professional rules, conducts, and
attitudes.  Do >prospective museum professionals get the same sort of...I'd
almost say, >indoctrination?
 
>Mario Rups
 
 
I've only just completed my first semester in Museum Studies, and so far I
haven't detected any sort of indoctrination.  HOWEVER I have noticed a
strenuous effort by the faculty (who are primarily museum professionals and
professors secondarily) to instill in us students a sense of
"professionalism", sort of defending the validity of their/our future
careers.  We read an essay by Stephen Weil titled "In Search of a Profession"
(I think that's the title; I don't have my book on hand immediately) in which
he discusses the "professionalization" of museum careers.  He touches on the
debate of the academic museum worker vs. museum-trained museum worker (i.e.
should a director be an administration PhD or a specialist in one of the
museum's fields).  A defensive attitude is only natural, since no one wants
to feel that their work is frivolous or amateur (especially if they've
invested time and money in a MA, MS, or PhD).  But other than this, I've not
noticed any indoctrination per se.
 
Holly Trimper (yes, the one who supported drug testing in the workplace)
[log in to unmask]