I think if you have something like a portable panic button it should be a blanket policy that everyone is required to carry it when they are alone (regardless of age or sex).  After all there are other scenarios where a panic button might be useful.  For instance, what if the museum person is on the grounds with a tour and a patron starts to convulse and collapses.  It might be better for the museum person to stay with the patient and use the panic button to call for help.  Or what if the museum person has their own medical emergency?

I think it only makes sense that all security and safety procedures be applied to all personal equally.  After all, if you do not apply these procedures equally, I would think, that you might be opening your institution up for a law suit if something everywhere to happen to an employee (i.e. a male employee suffers an attack when he was alone with a tour because the policy wasn't enforced on all employees).
 
Heather Marie Wells
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Springdale, Arkansas






> Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:31:58 -0500
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Men on walk-in tours
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Apologies, I read the responses out of order and just got to Matthew
> White's post. I certainly didn't mean to offend or cause umbrage. The
> point of my post was actually less about security and more about why
> male and female visitation patterns differ, but I think it's important
> to understand that women live in a world where we do have to contend
> with the possibility of violence done to us in situations that are
> supposedly 'safe' (the domestic space, for example). Only a very small
> percentage of men who go on tours of historic sites alone are a problem,
> but the potential is there. Would we ever reverse the scenario and offer
> a panic button (as one list member noted) to a man who was giving a tour
> to a woman alone? No, and not because we're discriminating against men,
> but because we understand that women's experiences are different.
>
> I look forward to seeing your report regarding your institution!
>
> Mary Rizzo
>
> =========================================================
> 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).



All-in-one security and maintenance for your PC.  Get a free 90-day trial! Learn more! ========================================================= 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).