You might also want to look at Robert Janes' book "Museums and the Paradox of Change" published by the Glenbow Museum/University of Calgary, particularly pages 34-35 on his dealings with the Museum's board duringa period of great organizational changes. At 06:20 PM 06/02/99 -0700, you wrote: >This thread has somewhat played itself out by now, but I've been unable >to get to my email because of opening deadlines and visiting family. I >appreciate Herve's response, as I'm preparing to write a very carefully >drafted letter to my board describing precisely this problem--they are >the most active volunteers and committee chairs, insist on having final >decision-making power in ALL matters--curatorial, financial, and >otherwise, and have utterly no idea that this is a difficulty. Needless >to say, I am their first Director. We are doing our best to stay open >and cooperate...I hope... > >On a lighter note, shortly after beginning a position as the curator of >costume at a mid-size art museum, I was familiarizing myself with the >collection records. One piece, an 1870s day dress, had undergone >significant "conservation". Actually, a volunteer had taken it upon >herself to completely dismantle the dress, line the shattered silk, and >put it back together. She carefully documented the process both in >photograph and text. The last line of her text read something like >this: "...I was able to reconstruct the dress even better than it had >been originally, as I had fabric left over!" > >Pat Roath >[log in to unmask] >or: Central School Museum, [log in to unmask] > > >Hervé Gagnon wrote: >> >> > The worst that can happen to a museum professional working in a small-town museum is when board members and >> > volunteers are one and the same. Take a board of about 10 directors who also make up most of the volunteer staff and >> > you have an explosive situation: most of the times, a board member will neither accept nor be remotely aware of the >> > fact that once he/she works as a volunteer on a specific project, he/she does so under the authority of the very >> > employees he/she's responsible for as a board member. The most immediate results of this are loss of control over >> > project budgets and board interference in staff-level activities - not to mention very unpleasant tension. >> >> Hervé Gagnon > > Jane Sproull Thomson