A few months ago I posted a notice about the my MPA project on the use of
performance indicators by museums.  My research has led me to a larger
concern, namely the degree of autonomy (or lack thereof) that museum boards
seem to have when it comes to prioritsing their strategies, and eventually
in the slant that their performance indicators have.  There appears to be a
tricky dance museums managers must learn to handle in order to maintain the
integrity of their institution, but at the same time, not wanting to bite
the hand that feeds them.  This pressure seems to be more acute for smaller
museums which have little non-governmental funding, compared to the larger
museums, which have high enough profiles to attract private sector
endowments and other forms of sponsorship.

I would be very grateful to find out what members of this discussion list
think--if it is considered that this is too hot an issue to discuss on
Museum-L, I am happy to receive  correspondence off-list.

Thank you in advance!

Catherine (Kate) Stanton
Hobart, Tasmania
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