It would mean that Trustees would have to go out and work a little harder
to raise funds; that you might have to charge the public a little more to
get in; that you might have to create and operate a for-profit subsidiary,
etc., etc. , etc.

It might be that we have our heads so far up in the clouds, sniffing
purified air, that we can't imagine ourselves engaging in those dirty,
nasty activities that earn money.  We are above that business aren't we?


------
Robert Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
museum_bob
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http://www.bchm.org

----------
From:   D Mitchell[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Tuesday, July 28, 1998 8:45 AM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: The Value of an M.A. - $7.25/hr?

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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