Ellen:
Historically, "professions" have involved some imprimatur that certifies
one is qualified to serve that profession. Lawyers, doctors, clergy, and
those academic disciplines that accredit. There are accredited museums. I
know of no certified, licensed or accredited people known as "museum
professionals."
Journalists call themselves professionals but subscribe to no common
ethical code. The same with public relations practitioners. The AAM Code
of Ethics is optional and must be adopted by governing boards to be useful.
We are a collection of specialists, as you observe. Some are even
fundraisers and publicists. To be accredited, the last I knew, a museum has
to have its act together with a plan for the future. Whether its staff
consisted of degreed specialists isn't necessarily material to
accreditation, but it helps.
My point was, and is, that if museums suffer in the eyes of their
communities, it is because they have done sensational things in the name of
marketing. To that extent, they have stretched their mission and serious
philanthropy obviously doesn't stretch with them.
>Uh, Ross, while you may not believe that there is such a beast as a museum
professional, I think I lot of people beside myself do, and some of them
work with dinosaurs and controversial art.
>And, if you are looking for a definition, it seems to me that a museum
professional is a specialist in some field dedicated to advancing that
discipline in the context of a museum. You know -- just like a scholar of
English literature might be dedicated to education through classroom
teaching.
>You are right that scrabbling over the crumbs of a shrinking pie makes a
whole lot less sense than figuring out how to bake a bigger pie, though.
Ellen B. Cutler
LNB Associates: Writing, Editing, Research Services
Aberdeen MD 21001
----- Original Message -----
From: Ross Weeks <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2001 2:40 PM
Subject: Re: Value to the Community
> Museums, I believe, are perceived as quite valuable in their communities
> (except when they veer off into dinosaurs and sensationalist art to
attract
Ross Weeks Jr.
Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park
Tazewell, Va.
http://histcrab.netscope.net
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