Rachael, you have had a ton of VERY good advice from everyone else who has posted!!!  (In total worth a seminar session, in my estimation).  But I want to add, that your already  evident diplomacy in the matter is really essential!!!  This is so déjà vu for me –I’ve seen it so many times in my decades of museum work.  The caution is that the very first professional has to use everything from an angelic demeanor to slight of hand magic to deal with such a Board, and it’s really important to do so.  Over the years I have seen numerous small museums fire the first paid professional because they (the Board) could not make the cognitive shift to professional standards, and invariably it would set the museum back 10 years  (before they would venture again to have professional staff).

 

It is a REALLY hard place to be….we all will be hoping for the best outcome for you.  Much will depend on your ability to know when to back off and when to tease them forward in their thinking a bit, as well as the personalities of those individual Board Members. 

 

Also, try to gradually people the Board with people who understand or will listen…..  I know it can take a while because Board turnover is often slow, but eventually that will make a big difference.  Hopefully there are already a few people to champion your cause since they DID decide to seek professional help – try working first with the leaders of that idea.

 

How about sending us all an update from time to time?   –cherry pick from the advice and let us know what worked and what did not.

 

Lucy Sperlin

 

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cornelia Frisbee Houde
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2016 11:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Board Members and Artifacts

 

Rachael,

 

Would it be at all possible to have a board education day or  however you want to term it and then bring in someone from the outside to say the things you need to say. Sometimes boards hear it differently from a consultant.  Good luck.

 

Connie

 

Connie Frisbee Houde,

Research and Collections

New York State Museum

Room 3035, Cultural Education Center

Albany, New York 12230

518-473-1468

 

 

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Rebman
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2016 1:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Board Members and Artifacts

 

Rachael,

Is this a non-profit board that answers to nobody else?  Or is it a board that answers to a municipality or county government?  If the former, you could hopefully educate them or find an outsider who can explain best standards and practices.  If the latter, you could ask the municipal or county government for a new board, since the board is not allowing you to do your job and is posing a direct threat to the safety of the artifacts held in public trust.


Michael R.

 

On Fri, Jul 8, 2016 at 11:19 AM, Rachael Ward <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hello All!

 

I am currently the director of a small historical society and museum where I am the first museum professional to be employed for their site. In a nut shell, there are no archival records of any sort, no collections room, collections policy, no provenance for a majority of the artifacts - essentially I’m starting from the ground up. Which, as trying as it is at times, isn’t why I’m writing to you all. 

 

The board of directors and I view the treatment of artifacts in drastically different manner. In the most recent scenario (and trust me when I say there are MANY scenarios), they came to me asking if they could use some of the artifacts (props as they termed them), on a float for local township parades. I explained that the artifacts could be harmed or stolen by exposing them to all the manner of variables a parade brings (rain, falling off a wagon and breaking, someone snatching the artifact when they weren’t looking), but they did not see the harm in this and continued to press the subject. I then tried to bring up other institutions and professional standards in the field of museums and let them know that it, quite frankly, is not acceptable, again not changing their minds. They ultimately have the final say and so I have expressed to them that I would respect their decisions regarding artifact usage outside the confines of museum, as is their right as the board. 

 

My question for you all is this: How do I convey to them that what they are choosing to do is harmful to the artifacts other than what I have already done? They claim to want to increase their professional standing in the museum community, but are unwilling to listen to my professional advice. I have had my fair share of ‘interesting’ situations regarding, shall we say, eccentric boards in my career, but this takes the cake. I’m at a loss on how to help them understand the ways of our field. Any advice on how you may have handled a similar situation would be greatly appreciated. I want to see this institution succeed, but right now that is looking rather bleak. 

 

--

Rachael Ward

 

 


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