This has been a very interesting thread, in between all of the "remove"
messages.

One writer blames boards of trustees for not doing their jobs, as a reason
why salaries are low.

        (That is sometimes how fundraisers react -- the boards aren't making
        their calls and solicitations, therefore we can't raise enough money.)

Another suggests that if our museums were more popular places to go,
salaries would be higher -- as in baseball stars, I supposed.

        (We may not realize how popular we are.  And I think lots of laypeople
        think we have such neat jobs!  I've had a board that agreed our staff was
        underpaid, "but they enjoy their work so much, and that's some
        compensation.")

A third believes it's time (despite valid objections to the very thought)
of finding out what the public wants and then giving it to them.

        (I feel we are doing this to an extent, already.  But Disney does it
better.
        We can't compete.)

One asked how it was that some museum people had enough time to have these
e-mail exchanges.  One reply was that e-mail work was being done at home.

My own view is that probably we've developed too many museums in this
country, not by design but by accident.  And too many of them are knocking
on the same doors for financial support, once they found that government
was backing off at all levels, in its support for institutions like ours.
And we have universities creating museum studies programs -- not for any
academic merit -- to keep their enrollments up.  So, we have a rapidly
growing number of institutions without sufficient funds to endow
operations; we compete with one another for funds; and there are more and
more very good people entering the museum career marketplace.  It is not a
workable jigsaw puzzle.

And some divert more and more of what money is available to trying to raise
more of it, hiring people to make certain they are accountable for the
money they have, bringing in consultants to offer advice on strategic
planning, and then it's also time to renovate this place or that wing.

No, it's not the fault of the boards.  It's a no-fault situation.  Salaries
are lower than they should be simply because of the sheer numbers -- of
institutions, positions, entry-level people, IMHO.