A 'Pity Party'???? From what I've seen here and what I have wrote...we are trying to cope with obstacles and situations and are looking for support and information. Lamenting (or what may seem like it) is unfortunately part of this process. I don't think you will find too many people here that are merely lamenting, we are taking action and applying what we learn - and this list has been an excellent resource to do this. I have been grateful for the support and information I am receiving on this list! Some things, I can talk to my friends and family about, and they are attentive but being able to network with other museum professionals, students, volunteers, etc., is most helpful! When I go into the employment office to ask for assistance and advice, it is limiting because an employment counselor is not directly familiar with the museum field. I am attentive and have none-the-less found a lot of helpful information. Last time I went in there, there wasn't anyone available to help me. Since I had to drive a distance to get there, I was a little more persistent (I don't mind waiting, etc) about getting info. The employment office manager assisted me and has since taken me on as a client. He told me about a new program (that was only available in the eastern part of my state) that would enable me to take online classes for free..up to a year. I had him sign me up. Although I am well-versed in Microsoft Office '97 Professional, I am working on updating to 2002 and will have a specialist certificate. If I hadn't gone to the employment office, hadn't been persistent, I would have missed out on this opportunity. But I did tell the manager my current situation (I have 2 academic degrees, I have work experience, I am anxious to re-enter the workforce following surgery and illness). Believe me, I am not presenting my struggles in order to merely lament and not too many people on the list are doing that. If it was up to me, I wish I wouldn't have to rehash some of my experiences, but often, in order to get assistance, people need to know where you've come from, where you want to go in order to help you get there. No doubt that if I had a second household income, that my situation would be different and sometimes I can only joke about that. Humor, is a great way to deal with some of these issues. But in all seriousness, I am aware of my reality and I have to find ways to work around and with that and I have to be resourceful. Resourceful = talking to people, doing research, working 2-3 jobs, etc). When we mention and discuss the difficult and low paying positions we have held...we similarly find that these jobs have had other benefits, and that's what we're trying to express - we are not moaning and groaning because we had to do them. But there is a lot of moaning and groaning involved when you have blisters on your feet and 2 hours left to go on your shift. I found a way to cope with this, and next time a fellow waitress complained to me about her feet, I highly recommended 'maxi pads'. Waitressing? How many of us here have had to do that and know how much the $$$ helped! And not just the money, I have been able to network with a lot of people and gain some great people skills. The 6 years that I worked at a local hospital as a psych aide, mostly with elderly people...well I used to be 'afraid' of elderly people. Now I work with elderly people all the time in museums and have many elderly friends. To address another issue you bring up - I see a lot of museums that are doing as much as they can to create more jobs and obtain as many grants as possible. Other museums can certainly do more and I know of many who watch grant deadlines come and go. An good example of this is the more recent IMLS Museums for American grant. It is clear that many entire states are underrepresented in these grant awards. Grants are an issue in of themselves and there are museums that simply do not understand the processes involved. One of the worse grants I ever saw was written by a professor who proposed a project that had a vague goal and didn't outline steps to attain that goal, nor any benefits resulting from this goal. For those of us who write grants, we can read and understand the language of and requirements for a grant. But I have been surprised at how many people find these strange interpretations for grant requirements and/or guidelines that they choose to ignore. I hope there hasn't been any list members who feel dissuaded from posting their experiences and issues they are personally facing. Anyone who would like to is always free to contact me offlist too! Pam In a message dated 8/25/2005 1:24:47 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: Ok, so you're all overworked, underpaid, and your museums underfunded. In the aggregate, a pity party of some start gets started on this list every couple of months (I can't find a job, my job doesn't pay enough, etc.). My thinking was that, if you don't act in the collective, proactively, the profession may just dry up. How many times have there been posts to this list about a museum here, there, or somewhere, sometimes a long-established museum, closing? It's not up to somebody else to keep the profession going. It's up to those of us who happen to believe there is extreme value. My suggestion may have been ill gotten and/or unappreciated (oh, please, beat me some more with that wet noodle), but I'm trying to convince you that you have to do more than lament. The old tools aren't working, and some of those (as in funding because estate tax made it worth the while of the donors to do so) are being ripped away. Pamela Silvestri, Museum Assistant Northeast States Civilian Conservation Corps Museum Shenipsit State Forest 166 Chestnut Hill Road Stafford Springs, Connecticut 06076 (860) 684-3430 ========================================================= 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).