A.Passmoore wrote: > > On Sun, 9 Aug 1998, Rebecca Conner wrote: > > Someone made a joke at AAM last year that I found amusing then, > > but becomes more disturbing all the time. The jist is that the > > *ideal* museum employee has 15+ years of experience with > > research, conservation, exhibit design, visitor relations, > > education, NAGPRA compliance, grant-writing and management, 2 > > PhD's and a MBA and is willing to work 80 hour weeks (including > > weekends of course) for $10,000 and no benefits. > > This is a point of interest. Clearly what must be done is a complete > business process re-engineering for the museum field as a whole. Perhaps > non-profit isn't the ideal mode of operation? Perhaps whole new levels of > technology must be adopted? The question is, what exactly can be done? It > seems self-sufficiency and earned income are the lynch-pins in this > quandry. I often think perhaps museums should attempt to capitalize on > the virtual as well as the phsyical. Are there any museums with > significant earned-income derived from on-line transactions? Indeed, are > there any museums that have made a real effort on the web? > > Alexander Passmoore > http:/passmoore.com The Science Museum in London has a Website and we are in the process of offering our publications through our site. I certainly get a lot of enquiries about the Museum in general and particular books through the site. http://nmsi.ac.uk My bookmark folder is full of museum Websites, generally from the most well-known museums in the US and Europe. Smaller museums might have a problem in sparing either personnel or money to run a site.