If you want better pay, join a union
The publication of the Museum Association's (MA) salary guidelines is welcome and has positive implications for all those campaigning for better pay in the museum sector: it follows logically that museums aspiring to meet MA standards on conservation, documentation, education, ethics etc, should likewise adhere to rules on paying staff adequately.
The document also gives those arguing for fair pay some leverage when it comes to challenging any unfavourable results from job evaluation schemes that local authorities in the UK have undergone in recent months.
The issue is confused slightly when the Museum Professionals Group (MPG) is presented as an authority in this area (Museums Journal May 2005,p5).
The MPG has done sterling work in raising awareness of the issue, but it is not a recognised trade union. Pay in museums remains subject to the trade union's collective bargaining power and it is time to join the real world and actively engage, just as librarians and teachers do.
Trade union activism and membership among library staff and schoolteachers is greater than that in museums. As a result, these comparable professions are paid more. In lobbying for better pay in museums, could the MA do more to encourage union participation?
Organisations such as Unison and Prospect have real influence when it comes to achieving improvements in our terms and conditions and I would suggest museum professionals bring this very important document, and the survey which prompted it, to the attention of their local trade union representative, and ask them what they intend to do about it.
Brendan Carr, Unison steward, Reading Museums Service
MPG needs new blood
The Museum Professionals Group (MPG) has been instrumental in pushing forward the issue of pay in museums and the current committee, with the help of the Museums Association (MA), have achieved great things. The issuing of the guidelines on pay by the MA will further develop thinking and policy in relation to pay.
The chair of the MPG is now appealing to prospective committee members to create the next wave of activity and direction for the MPG in representing those entering the museum sector. New blood will bring new ideas, achievements, vitality and possibilities in moving forward the many issues affecting the sector.
It is important for those on the committee who are rather long in the tooth to move to one side and promote the cultivation of new members and new thinking during this very exciting time within the museum sector.
If you are interested in the prospect of becoming a committee member on the MPG as a professional development opportunity or because you feel strongly about particular issues affecting the sector, please contact me.
Julie Allsop, MPG chair, juliea@nationalfootballmuseum.com
Getting to know the objects
I think Nichola Johnson makes some very valid points in her recent article on the need for curators with more object-based knowledge (Museums Journal June 2005, p16).
I speak not as a curator or education/outreach practitioner, but as a museum visitor who enjoys discovering and learning about unusual and rare objects of diverse types, as well as one who seeks imaginative displays that reflect a passionate and well-informed professional's research with respect for their visitors' varied needs and interests.
I am also a student recently started on a museum studies generalist course that Johnson describes as being part of the problem if not balanced with specialist knowledge of objects and their context. It is difficult to develop that additional insight when you do not yet work in a museum or gallery.
However, as a strong believer in the mutually beneficial links between collections and people (both as staff and visitors), I can only hope to gain such balance through targeted volunteering, additional research, and perhaps a lucky break to obtain a foot on the first rung of the ladder in a forward-thinking museum come 2008.
Russell Luscombe, Exeter
Nurture tomorrow's curators today
Your June edition was crammed with interest, and none more relevant than Nichola Johnson's perceptive call for a 'new breed of curator' (Museums Journal June 2005, p16).
Her emphasis on dealing with the issue at the postgraduate level is wise and timely, with various schemes now under way in a number of institutions - including the National Maritime Museum - aiming to stimulate in young professionals the flexibility of mind that will pay off handsomely in a decade or so.
Internships have a positive role here, and the best of these offer entry-level opportunities that are literally boundless.
Even more fundamental, however, is the development of a more dynamic institutional culture led from the top and also from within.
Organisations should be prepared to invest in people, to promote secondment for good reasons (not, as has been the case, as a mechanism for moving people on because they no longer fit) and to view continuous professional development as a powerful method for building up long-term capacity.
Genuinely transparent and effective methods for selecting, appraising, promoting, training and, sometimes, dismissing are essential.
The necessity for some level of turnover has to be balanced by a measure of stability; long service in one place is a good thing for some disciplines, but not for too many people. Depth of knowledge is complemented by breadth of know-how, which strengthens an organisation and creates the energy for progress and growth.
Moreover there should be a discerning approach to material culture, with an intellectually rigorous and unswervingly focused campaign to develop the collections and to learn more about them and breathe oxygen into them.
This demands a kind of living paradox, in which a passion for objects and materials is matched by a drive to attend competently to their stewardship. In this model, love for the collections is conditional: as granny would say: 'Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.'
Know the collections well enough and it becomes easier (not easy) to identify the high ground, accentuate the very best, embark on research where there are doubts and ultimately disperse or dispose of items that fall short.
Pruning is not disgraceful (where it is done with rigour and is allowed by governing statutes) and tends to be revitalising. An acquisitions policy without a disposals policy is an unsustainable formula for the long term.
In many respects, a 'new breed of curator' is already with us, but as leaders at every level our duty is to ensure that fresh energies are nourished and the momentum is maintained.
For some this remains an act of faith, but the vision is being expressed with increasing tempo and as professionals we should respond constructively. This challenge is less about money and more about attitude, so each of us really can make a difference.
Roy Clare, director, National Maritime Museum, London
Let's hear it for the lifelong learning people
Richard Crowest writes that he has found that '… roles for specialists in communicating with a general audience (as distinct from more formal learning) simply don't exist in most of our museums and heritage bodies' (Museums Journal June 2005, p15).
I found this experience interesting as it differs from my own. I would have said there are more roles in lifelong learning for graduates than for those specifically focused on the formal education sector.
People working in museums whose key role is to provide opportunities for engagement, inspiration, exploration and so on of collections for a general or all-encompassing audience are often referred to as working in lifelong learning.
They are specialists in accommodating the different learning styles our visitors have and are key contributors to the successful development of permanent displays and temporary exhibitions.
Having had a look at the research Crowest's letter referred to, he seems to think along many of the same lines as these people and refers to the same sources many of us do (eg. Freeman Tilden).
Sadly, many museums don't realise who these people are. They are known by a range of titles that vary but are often exhibitions officer, access officer, education officer, interpretation officer, learning development officer.
A good project team for developing a display or exhibition should comprise a range of professionals from different areas of museum work who can contribute their particular area of expertise to the team; I'm sure at least one of them could also take the role of project leader, if they are a decent chair in a meeting!
Ruth Kerr, education officer for social history, Hampshire Museums Service
Clarifications:
Liz Hallam-Smith is the chairwoman of the National Council on Archives and not, as stated, the chairwoman of the National Campaign for the Arts (Museums Journal June 2005, p7).
Ann Wise, the new Warner textile and development licensing manager at the Warner Archive, Braintree, was formerly the acting principal curator of the Worthing Museum and Gallery and not the acting principal curator of costumes and textiles at the Worthing Museum and Gallery (Museums Journal June 2005, p9).
The publication of the Museum Association's (MA) salary guidelines is welcome and has positive implications for all those campaigning for better pay in the museum sector: it follows logically that museums aspiring to meet MA standards on conservation, documentation, education, ethics etc, should likewise adhere to rules on paying staff adequately.
The document also gives those arguing for fair pay some leverage when it comes to challenging any unfavourable results from job evaluation schemes that local authorities in the UK have undergone in recent months.
The issue is confused slightly when the Museum Professionals Group (MPG) is presented as an authority in this area (Museums Journal May 2005,p5).
The MPG has done sterling work in raising awareness of the issue, but it is not a recognised trade union. Pay in museums remains subject to the trade union's collective bargaining power and it is time to join the real world and actively engage, just as librarians and teachers do.
Trade union activism and membership among library staff and schoolteachers is greater than that in museums. As a result, these comparable professions are paid more. In lobbying for better pay in museums, could the MA do more to encourage union participation?
Organisations such as Unison and Prospect have real influence when it comes to achieving improvements in our terms and conditions and I would suggest museum professionals bring this very important document, and the survey which prompted it, to the attention of their local trade union representative, and ask them what they intend to do about it.
Brendan Carr, Unison steward, Reading Museums Service
MPG needs new blood
The Museum Professionals Group (MPG) has been instrumental in pushing forward the issue of pay in museums and the current committee, with the help of the Museums Association (MA), have achieved great things. The issuing of the guidelines on pay by the MA will further develop thinking and policy in relation to pay.
The chair of the MPG is now appealing to prospective committee members to create the next wave of activity and direction for the MPG in representing those entering the museum sector. New blood will bring new ideas, achievements, vitality and possibilities in moving forward the many issues affecting the sector.
It is important for those on the committee who are rather long in the tooth to move to one side and promote the cultivation of new members and new thinking during this very exciting time within the museum sector.
If you are interested in the prospect of becoming a committee member on the MPG as a professional development opportunity or because you feel strongly about particular issues affecting the sector, please contact me.
Julie Allsop, MPG chair, juliea@nationalfootballmuseum.com
Getting to know the objects
I think Nichola Johnson makes some very valid points in her recent article on the need for curators with more object-based knowledge (Museums Journal June 2005, p16).
I speak not as a curator or education/outreach practitioner, but as a museum visitor who enjoys discovering and learning about unusual and rare objects of diverse types, as well as one who seeks imaginative displays that reflect a passionate and well-informed professional's research with respect for their visitors' varied needs and interests.
I am also a student recently started on a museum studies generalist course that Johnson describes as being part of the problem if not balanced with specialist knowledge of objects and their context. It is difficult to develop that additional insight when you do not yet work in a museum or gallery.
However, as a strong believer in the mutually beneficial links between collections and people (both as staff and visitors), I can only hope to gain such balance through targeted volunteering, additional research, and perhaps a lucky break to obtain a foot on the first rung of the ladder in a forward-thinking museum come 2008.
Russell Luscombe, Exeter
Nurture tomorrow's curators today
Your June edition was crammed with interest, and none more relevant than Nichola Johnson's perceptive call for a 'new breed of curator' (Museums Journal June 2005, p16).
Her emphasis on dealing with the issue at the postgraduate level is wise and timely, with various schemes now under way in a number of institutions - including the National Maritime Museum - aiming to stimulate in young professionals the flexibility of mind that will pay off handsomely in a decade or so.
Internships have a positive role here, and the best of these offer entry-level opportunities that are literally boundless.
Even more fundamental, however, is the development of a more dynamic institutional culture led from the top and also from within.
Organisations should be prepared to invest in people, to promote secondment for good reasons (not, as has been the case, as a mechanism for moving people on because they no longer fit) and to view continuous professional development as a powerful method for building up long-term capacity.
Genuinely transparent and effective methods for selecting, appraising, promoting, training and, sometimes, dismissing are essential.
The necessity for some level of turnover has to be balanced by a measure of stability; long service in one place is a good thing for some disciplines, but not for too many people. Depth of knowledge is complemented by breadth of know-how, which strengthens an organisation and creates the energy for progress and growth.
Moreover there should be a discerning approach to material culture, with an intellectually rigorous and unswervingly focused campaign to develop the collections and to learn more about them and breathe oxygen into them.
This demands a kind of living paradox, in which a passion for objects and materials is matched by a drive to attend competently to their stewardship. In this model, love for the collections is conditional: as granny would say: 'Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.'
Know the collections well enough and it becomes easier (not easy) to identify the high ground, accentuate the very best, embark on research where there are doubts and ultimately disperse or dispose of items that fall short.
Pruning is not disgraceful (where it is done with rigour and is allowed by governing statutes) and tends to be revitalising. An acquisitions policy without a disposals policy is an unsustainable formula for the long term.
In many respects, a 'new breed of curator' is already with us, but as leaders at every level our duty is to ensure that fresh energies are nourished and the momentum is maintained.
For some this remains an act of faith, but the vision is being expressed with increasing tempo and as professionals we should respond constructively. This challenge is less about money and more about attitude, so each of us really can make a difference.
Roy Clare, director, National Maritime Museum, London
Let's hear it for the lifelong learning people
Richard Crowest writes that he has found that '… roles for specialists in communicating with a general audience (as distinct from more formal learning) simply don't exist in most of our museums and heritage bodies' (Museums Journal June 2005, p15).
I found this experience interesting as it differs from my own. I would have said there are more roles in lifelong learning for graduates than for those specifically focused on the formal education sector.
People working in museums whose key role is to provide opportunities for engagement, inspiration, exploration and so on of collections for a general or all-encompassing audience are often referred to as working in lifelong learning.
They are specialists in accommodating the different learning styles our visitors have and are key contributors to the successful development of permanent displays and temporary exhibitions.
Having had a look at the research Crowest's letter referred to, he seems to think along many of the same lines as these people and refers to the same sources many of us do (eg. Freeman Tilden).
Sadly, many museums don't realise who these people are. They are known by a range of titles that vary but are often exhibitions officer, access officer, education officer, interpretation officer, learning development officer.
A good project team for developing a display or exhibition should comprise a range of professionals from different areas of museum work who can contribute their particular area of expertise to the team; I'm sure at least one of them could also take the role of project leader, if they are a decent chair in a meeting!
Ruth Kerr, education officer for social history, Hampshire Museums Service
Clarifications:
Liz Hallam-Smith is the chairwoman of the National Council on Archives and not, as stated, the chairwoman of the National Campaign for the Arts (Museums Journal June 2005, p7).
Ann Wise, the new Warner textile and development licensing manager at the Warner Archive, Braintree, was formerly the acting principal curator of the Worthing Museum and Gallery and not the acting principal curator of costumes and textiles at the Worthing Museum and Gallery (Museums Journal June 2005, p9).
