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  • 1.  What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-18-2024 02:02 PM

    Dear All

    What is one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed? I am wondering and curious about what verity of problems.

    Thanks,

    Rachel



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    Rachel Alschuler
    Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
    San Francisco CA
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  • 2.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-19-2024 07:04 PM
    A recurring problem I’ve observed in MANY museums, large and small: the tendency to assign responsibility for staging/executing all public events - including socials and fundraisers - to the educators and education departments. At the very least, successful public-facing events should be everyone’s responsibility, starting at the top.

    James Bryant
    SOJOURN Science - Nature - Education
    Santa Fe, NM
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bryant-0598a940/


    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-20-2024 01:30 PM

    Dear James

    I understand how that is not ideal. I think most public programs as being a collaboration between education and visitor experience type.

    Thanks,

    Rachel



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    Rachel Alschuler
    Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
    San Francisco CA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-23-2024 05:39 AM

    Dear James

    The classical silos bias organization mode. It tends to lead to an 'every man for himself' situation in which there are real experts (especially 'those at the top') in centrifuging responsibility and slipping away with the phrase 'that's your responsibility, so do your job well, that's what we pay you for'. The "it's your thing" mode.

    A real aberration and a cause of the big burn-out cause in professionals' careers that end by quitting their jobs.

    Kind regards

    Jose



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    Jose Antonio Gordillo Martorell PhD
    CEO & Founder
    Meilen
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-23-2024 01:42 PM

    Dear Jose

    I agree and think that collaboration is something that can help with burn out. I also think it is important to like and or enjoy your job. I know in life this not always possible. I strive to have that myself. 

    Thanks,

    Rachel



    ------------------------------
    Rachel Alschuler
    Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
    San Francisco CA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-24-2024 03:03 PM
    Dear colleagues:

    From my retired perspective, after spending 26+ years in museum mission & management work, I believe one of the most serious, yet unaddressed, problems in our field is the continually rising--yet unresourced--expectations about the level of performance expected of workers by all stakeholders from audiences to boards to ourselves.  

    Since we love our work, we self-sacrificially overwork to meet ever-increasing expectations of performance, often without overtime compensation [understand that this is illegal!] or recognition of the deleterious outcomes in order to achieve our goals for excellence. This characteristic results in museum practitioner stress, burnout, family, social, as well as individual ill-health, & ultimately job leaving.

    See the overwhelming evidence for and analysis of the above problem as well as potential solutions in the Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers ~ Help for fully loaded camels working in a continual rain of straws blog at https://solvetasksaturation.wordpress.com/ .

    My hope for the coming year in the museum field is that we all can begin to apply some brutal realism in planning & decision-making about what we can actually accomplish given the real-world amounts of time, tools, & resources available to our workforce.

    Going forward, all my best wishes for establishing realistic 5-year & annual plans as well as personal goals that are strictly matched to what we can actually accomplish without constantly deliberately or unheedingly exploiting our workforce's love for our jobs!

    Surely, nobody wants to continue--or be expected--to work illegally in museums!

    Thanks for thinking about this.

    Respectfully yours

    Paul C. Thistle



    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-26-2024 01:15 PM

    Dear Paul

    I agree that all museum work should be appreciated appropriately. I also believe in collaboration and I can see that as  a tool to  counter act burnout. Thanks for sharing.

    Rachel



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    Rachel Alschuler
    Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
    San Francisco CA
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-27-2024 12:41 PM

    12/27

    At one of the museums that I worked for there was an issue of the staff becoming top heavy. As they hired more upper and middle management and curators they cut the 'boots on the ground' staff to balance the budget. But the work load was not reduced proportionately. It was actually increased because the additional high level people and the curators all expected to have their particular projects and exhibitions realized. But you need art handlers, lighting techs, conservators, custodial staff, security, designers, editors, mount makers, and fabricators to actually create an exhibition. Not just the 'idea' people.            



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    Paula Millet
    Exhibit Designer
    Baltimore MD
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: What is the one problem you have seen in a museum that should be fixed?

    Posted 12-27-2024 01:19 PM

    Dear Paula

    I agree with you. Museums should have all of the staff from custodians to curators. Everyone is important to the functionality of a museum. Even a small museum I did an internship in was cleaned daly. 

    Thanks,

    Rachel



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    Rachel Alschuler
    Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
    San Francisco CA
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    Original Message


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