Peter Tirrell wrote:
>
> Everyone - I am posting this for a colleague.  Please send me
> information regarding salaries or salary surveys for university or
> college art museums with budgets of approximately $250,000.  Published
> surveys of any type will be greatly appreciated, especially from the
> midwest for curator of exhibition, registrar. collection management,
> etc. (e.g., South Dakota).  Thank you.
> --
> Peter B. Tirrell, Associate Director
> Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
> University of Oklahoma
> 1335 Asp Avenue
> Norman, Oklahoma   73019
> [log in to unmask]
> phone:  (405) 325-1009
> fax:  (405) 325-7699
> President, Association of College and University Museums
>                         and Galleries(ACUMG)  www.omnh.ou.edu/acumg/

Hey, this just gave me an idea.  Brazoria County has just completed a
compensation study.  The Museum staff members are county employees but
we did not fare well at all, mainly because there are no comparable
positions within the County structure.

What kind of comparative information would members of this list be
willing to offer on line.  I will have an opportunity to contest the
compensation consultant's conclusions, so would like to have some
comparative ammunition when I go before the committee.

Here's what we have:

Annual Operating Budget:                                $400,000
Renovated Historic Courthouse, valued at $1.5 mil.

Research Center w/ 1200 books, extensive family histories, information
files, etc.  Information Services Coordinator also facilitates access to
County Courthouse records (next door) dating back to 1820's.

Artifact and document collections total 10,000 items dating back to
Spanish Texas.

Require a degreed Collections and Exhibits Curator:  either athropology
or history or the equivelent.

Compensation Consultant recommended a "market salary" of $26,875,
although the new salary schedule projects a five year progressive
increase to "market."  So, at implementation the Curator will earn
$21,566.  She has been here for four years.

Require a degreed Information Services Coordinator w/teaching
certificationi (this person also serves as our education curator and
public programs director).

Recommended "market" salary is $22,250 but at implementation will be
$17,854 (same five year progression).

The Secretary, who is actually an Office Manager, responsible for
monitoring both the County and the Museum Corporation's Budget, deposits
and payables for the Museum Corporation, supervision of the
receptionist/Visitor Informatioin Center Manager, and Museum Store
Manager.  She has been with us for almost 13 years.

Recommended "market" salary: $20,990 to begin at implementation.

Any comments out there?  How do these recommended salaries compare to
comparable museums and positions?

Bob Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
Angleton, Texas