At our living history museum, we often use the term "anachronism," not only
when discussing material culture items that are out of place, but verbal
presentations as well.
Michael, Old Cowtown Museum
----- Original Message -----
From: David E. Haberstich <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2001 9:11 PM
Subject: Re: Proper term


> In a message dated 01-02-22 21:03:24 EST, William Maurer writes:
>
> << I am wondering if there is a term for an entirely wrong statement of
fact
> or
>  wild exaggeration. A statement that certainly should have been caught by
the
>  director, educator or whoever is in charge of guide or docent training.
>  Have you experienced this as a common thing in historic houses and the
>  telling of the history? There must be a term stronger than "silly docent
>  tales." >>
>
> I've heard some volunteer docents in several museums tell some real
whoppers,
> and I suspect that part of the problem is inadequate or inappropriate
> training.  I know in my own museum docents are not generally trained by
the
> curatorial staff, which I've always thought was a mistake.  In fact, some
of
> the docents have no idea who the curators are.  I'm not trying to
generalize
> about docents or docent training programs, but I've heard enough errors of
> fact to convince me that there is sometimes a problem, and the innocent
> public gets shortchanged and misinformed.  When one gives a tour or
lecture
> in either a museum setting or a lecture hall, there's no substitute for
depth
> of knowledge and expertise.  I'm not attempting to slam museum educators
and
> their programs, and my evidence is purely personal and anecdotal, but it's
> clear to me that some institutions don't take seriously enough their
> obligation to disseminate accurate information to the public through
docent
> tours.
>
> One experience which stands out in my mind is a visit several years ago to
> Alnwick Castle, the home of the Dukes of Northumberland in England.  In
> describing some of the foibles of the ancestors of this family, the tour
> guide mentioned that one illegitimate son of a duke, James Smithson, was
so
> disgusted at the way he was treated by British society that he gave his
> fortune to the United States to found the Smithsonian Institution.  That's
> true enough, but then she went on to say that he designed the Smithsonian
> Castle.  Wrong.  He was long dead when the Castle was designed and built,
and
> he never visited the U.S., which is precisely what was so unusual about
his
> generosity.  This wasn't an earth-shattering mistake, but it was a totally
> unnecessary and avoidable muddle.
>
> David Haberstich
>
> =========================================================
> 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).

=========================================================
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).

=========================================================
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).