At 05:01 AM 7/27/98 GMT, you wrote:
>The value of education and pay has not been in line for many years,  My
>father looked for two years for work and was turned away as over-qualified
>with a MA.  I earn more money part-time as a house-remodeler than as an
>exhibits EE.
>   The museum workforce is viewed as a slave to the non-profit mentality,
>i.e. "Museums don't make a profit - WHY SHOULD YOU!"
>
>And until there is a labor shortage - the pay will stay the same - in fact
>- why pay?  Just use volunteers.
>

I have watched the discussion about pay for a few weeks now and thought i
would just through in an evil museum director's perspective.  I just have to
ask the question "Where will the money come from?"  Most museums i am
familiar with do not have large sources of income they hoard or spend on
unimportant projects just so they can save money in salaries.  I think for
most museums it is always a struggle as to whether to spend money on
additional personnel or increased compensation.  Good staff is a tremendous
asset, but so is no having personnel shortages.  If compensation in museums
suddenly increased across the board what would that mean for museums?  Just
a thought.

Dave Mitchell
President
Ella Sharp Museum
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