Dear colleagues: [indulgence coveted for cross-posting]
The Canadian Museums Association raised incoming daily reports of museum worker burnout in its 7 February web conferencing presentation to the federal government's Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. The need for a new National Museums Policy was the welcome primary point made in the 5 minutes allowed.
The long-lobbied update required for the existing 3-decades old policy is well beyond is 'best before' date, thus making it trash-worthy in 2022. In creating a new one, it is crucial to no longer ignore rampant worker burnout (in evidence since at least the early to mid-1980s in Canada) as the current policy has done for 31 years now.
See today's "Canadian National Museum Policy Work Redux" post on the Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers blog at https://solvetasksaturation.wordpress.com/2022/02/11/canadian-national-museum-policy-work-redux/ that provides a link to a web conferencing recording of the CMA presentation.
This post continues to urge that any new National Museum Policy in Canada-this time without fail-must address pressures causing debilitating burnout of paid & volunteer staff in museum workplaces.
Thanks for thinking about this.
Respectfully yours
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Paul C.Thistle
Director/Curator (retired)
Stratford, Ontario
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