Hi Joyce -- Our museum contracts with a private security company to provide a full complement of guards. We investigated hiring security staff as regular museum employees but found we could not afford it -- many of the contract guards make only minimum wage. The down side, of course, is that you get what you pay for. We've been very lucky that the company keeps the assignments pretty steady so we're not always faced with training new people, and we're also fortunate that the guards who work here are committed and loyal. However, the reality is that many of them are beyond retirement age, have health problems, and lack the social skills that would help them interact better with visitors. Even through the contract agencies, you can get more highly qualified people, but their hourly rate is higher. So yes, our current situation is dictated by current economics. Marie Via, Curator of Exhibitions Memorial Art Gallery 500 University Avenue Rochester, NY 14607 585-473-7720, x3012 ========================================================= 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).