Ellen: Historically, "professions" have involved some imprimatur that certifies one is qualified to serve that profession. Lawyers, doctors, clergy, and those academic disciplines that accredit. There are accredited museums. I know of no certified, licensed or accredited people known as "museum professionals." Journalists call themselves professionals but subscribe to no common ethical code. The same with public relations practitioners. The AAM Code of Ethics is optional and must be adopted by governing boards to be useful. We are a collection of specialists, as you observe. Some are even fundraisers and publicists. To be accredited, the last I knew, a museum has to have its act together with a plan for the future. Whether its staff consisted of degreed specialists isn't necessarily material to accreditation, but it helps. My point was, and is, that if museums suffer in the eyes of their communities, it is because they have done sensational things in the name of marketing. To that extent, they have stretched their mission and serious philanthropy obviously doesn't stretch with them. >Uh, Ross, while you may not believe that there is such a beast as a museum professional, I think I lot of people beside myself do, and some of them work with dinosaurs and controversial art. >And, if you are looking for a definition, it seems to me that a museum professional is a specialist in some field dedicated to advancing that discipline in the context of a museum. You know -- just like a scholar of English literature might be dedicated to education through classroom teaching. >You are right that scrabbling over the crumbs of a shrinking pie makes a whole lot less sense than figuring out how to bake a bigger pie, though. Ellen B. Cutler LNB Associates: Writing, Editing, Research Services Aberdeen MD 21001 ----- Original Message ----- From: Ross Weeks <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2001 2:40 PM Subject: Re: Value to the Community > Museums, I believe, are perceived as quite valuable in their communities > (except when they veer off into dinosaurs and sensationalist art to attract Ross Weeks Jr. Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park Tazewell, Va. http://histcrab.netscope.net ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).