I appreciate both Barbara's and Linda's recent comments re: collection manager positions. The changes they describe in Canadian museums are happening everywhere - not just in Canada. There is a substantial trend to follow the corporate lead in 'downsizing' without a serious concern as to the effectiveness of such efforts. Even if only the result of attrition, remaining staff are forced to cover more functions purely out of necessity. And as Barbara mentioned, job titles are kept, without a lot of regard for what the titles were originally intended for. There is, of course, another pressure for museums to make more information more accessible. Because collections are the primary source of information in museums, a collections professional can't ignore this trend. One can act either in a defensive mode, only reacting to the demands and restrictions made by others (whether inside the museum or out), or one can take a leadership mode and offer the information in ways that make the most sense for your situation and for your institution's mission. Like it or not, the institution has to find a way to deal with the information aspects of the collection -- but the collection professional has the responsibility to continuously remind the administration that the other aspects of collection management and care can not be ignored. Definition of a particular job position depends on the insitution's mission, immediate goals and objectives, and available resources. I am not in favor of advocating a collection manager=information systems manager... if the institution needs that function, however, the colleciton manager may very well need to be an administrator for information services; maybe be responsible for finding a 'partner' arrangement with a university computer services dept. to carry out the tasks involved.... or something comparable. With a union, I don't know the degree to which it is feasible, but in general within the museum profession we will have to make more use of consultants, of contracting specific functions out to outside staff -- meaning that full-time permanent staff continue to become more of the generalist and the administrator or manager, and less of the specialist. ONly the the largest institutions will we have the luxury of having specialists... Cynicism? or a reality check? museums have to respond to societal trends, and that includes economic and political ones. My two cents, anyway. -- Paisley S. Cato, Ph.D. e-mail: [log in to unmask] Curator of Collections phone: 703-666-8634 Virginia Museum of Natural History fax: 703-632-6487 1001 Douglas Ave., Martinsville, VA 24112