Nancy Pope wrote:
>
> >>> What do others think about Museum News in general?
>
> I agree that MN seems more attuned to graphic style rather than content
> (which has become so repetitive that I rarely do more than flip through the
> pages anymore). I would like to extend this discussion to the AAM
> conference sessions. Are there others who find little new in most of those
> sessions?

I concur with Nancy's observations that MN rarely offers me anything
significant.  I especially grow suspect of its editorial stance when I
read about important museum issues in the LA Times yet never see a word
mentioned in MN (e.g., leadership issues at the LA County Museum of
Natural History).

As for the conference, I've grown to appreciate them mostly for the
contacts I make.  Some sessions are valuable, but mostly when they bring
in outside speakers to provide new or different perspectives.
Unfortunately, I've chaired a couple panels and the AAM (and other
organizations) doesn't encourage the use of "outsiders" (they want only
AAM members speaking, require registration fees or only passes for that
day).  I understand the session proposals are becoming more detailed and
complex (the EdComm version requires pages and pages on content and
speaker qualifications) in order to shake out some quality sessions.
But I'm not sure if the conference can ever achieve consistently high
quality sessions when the speakers are unpaid and research/scholarship
is not encouraged.  The result is the typical "here's a program I did
and how I did it" session.

I may have opened a can of worms, but I would like to see what others
think.

--
Max A. van Balgooy
mailto:[log in to unmask]

Chaffey Communities Cultural Center & Cooper Regional History Museum
  PO Box 772   Upland, CA 91785-0772
  Telephone (909) 982-8010
  Website:  http://www.culturalcenter.org

Homestead Museum
  15415 East Don Julian Road   Industry, CA  91745-1029
  Telephone (818) 968-8492
  Fax  (818) 968-2048
  Website:  http://www.homesteadmuseum.org