<snip> from Henry Crawford
>As for _Museum News_, I never considered it to be anything more than a
>marketing tool, much like a corporate annual report.  It lets the outside
>world know what we're doing in a slick (upscale, if you will) way,
>providing insight into the big broad issues.  It's ok for that purpose.
>Mind you, there is some information I get from MN, but for the most part,
>it's usually the superficial kind (who has moved where, etc.)  It's not
>something I read cover to cover.  As for grass roots information we all
can
>use, like grant deadlines, legislative updates, and such, AVISO serves the
>profession much more effectively.

I have before me the annual billing for AAM membership.  Here is the gist
of the renewal letter:

".....your support enables AAM to provide you...with essential benefits and
services to proactively address your museum's current and future needs."

These benefits are:

"Professional Standards" transmitted via special publications for sale and
programs        for an extra fee
"Continuing education & professional development" for those who have the
budgets         to travel great distances, pay the fees and mostly to find the
spare time
        it all takes
"Representation" ..... in general, promoting throughout the USA the value
of      museums <as if we aren't doing that on our own, in general>
"Group purchase programs" for those who can't find better prices for the
services

Continuing,

"In addition, as an AAM member you receive AAM publications......." without
identifying what these publications are or describing their purpose.

Sam Stokes writes:

<snip>The Fort MacArthur Museum ... will soon be getting
our first paid staff, a "Historic Site Coordinator."

>For a shoestring operation such as ours, we have found that membership in
the
>AMA is completely a waste of our hard earned money.  Museum News almost
>never has anything pertaining to us, and is full of advertisements for
items and
>services we could never afford.

>I imagine that there are hundreds of operations out there such as ours.
The
>AMA appears to be ignoring a large sector of the museum community.

>Two cents, from the bottom half of the museum world....<

Sam, I'd say it would be more like three-fourths of the museum world
thirsty for useful and relevant material in "AAM publications" that come
with the membership fee.  THAT is the "member benefit" downplayed in the
renewal letter.