Do We Need Museum Studies Degrees?

I just pulled this latest blog post from an AAM facebook update (a quick and easy way to keep up with the organization, and to find "food for thought" articles on the museum field). The post itself poses some basic questions - and a few far out projections - about the system of public education in general. But the beginning and end question the necessity of formal programs in Museums Studies, the role of those programs in helping graduates secure jobs, and finally, questions whether or not AAM should work to raise salaries for these trained professionals (union??).

The post is short, and easy to digest. The highlights come in the form of other articles referenced. I enjoyed: "How Web-Savvy Edpunks Are Transforming American Higher Education"

I know the RC-listserv is always buzzing with questions about distance education programs in museums - as well as advertisements for webinars and online courses. So it does seem like this is the direction we're moving in, as a field. But is there ever a substitute for hands-on training? Do most folks feel that online opportunities give them the experience they will need to start a full-time job?

In times of economic strife, when cultural institutions are tightening belts and there is less money available to attend conferences and workshops, I would agree that online opportunities for continuing professional education are great. I'm a fan of webinars - cheap, easy, and often enlightening. But I can't imagine what my view of museums and my base of knowledge of best practices would have been without my training in public history and museums - in an on-site program.

A few questions for you grad students (and alumni of programs): How valuable is getting a graduate degree in museum studies? What about your program was valuable and only available in a real world, hands-on setting? Or, if you're in the process of getting a degree online -- what made you choose that path, and is it working for you?

Weigh in at will....

JQA Tweets...from the 1800's??

NY Times article on the Massachusetts Historical Society's latest endeavor -- "tweeting" John Quincy Adams's journal entries, each day for the next year. Click here for the article.

Seems like a simple but effective way to get a new audience thinking about collections....

Updates & Upcoming Events

Hi All!

So its been a while - i've been swamped at work, as have the folks that i've lured in as semi-regular contributors to this blog space. But I read a couple of great articles today that I thought I would pass on, AND I have a few cheap-but-interesting webinars to promote.

So, first the articles:

Nina Simon's latest blog post: "Eight Other Ways to 'Connect with Community'" -- She critiques a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor (found here) that talks about museums engaging new audiences. Interesting points, and her bullets for connection at the end are worth a read.

"At Louvre, Many Stop to Snap but Few Stay to Focus" -- an article circulated on the RC-AAM listserv yesterday; talks about why people visit museums -- good food for thought.

And now, some opportunities for inquiring minds in the field with tight budgets. AAM is offering discounted webinars on "museum essentials" at a pretty good price ($25/each) to members. Two coming up in September deal with visitors & interpretation:

Sept. 9th -- Planning for Exemplary Visitor Experiences

Sept. 23rd -- Audience Research and Evaluation: Why it Matters Now More Than Ever

So if you or your institution is a member, you can register and invite all the other folks in your area to come and webinar together. For more info, you can visit the AAM site here.

Well, thats all for now. More on the way soon! And hopefully more CVG projects coming with the start of the new school year at USC.