This week we were charged with reading two articles and a book (which, between both jobs, school, and my child, I never thought would happen. The book has gone everywhere with me so I could snag reading time whenever. It kinda looks like it went through a war zone. It was rented. I don't think I'll be getting my money back for it. Poor little soldier. Although it means I pretty much haven't slept in a week, I managed to make it through the whole thing and stay up on my schoolwork... Sorta. I'm not sure if I actually just finished typing my paper or just randomly banged at keys until five pages were filled. Guess we'll both find out tomorrow.)
So who's the first vict- I mean author. Sorry, wrong job.
The Critical Museum Visitor by Margaret Lindauer
This excerpt is where the title of this oh-so-fantastic blog post comes from. ( Have I mentioned I'm running on straight caffeine and sheer will? Aaaand it's only Monday night. I assume I will eventually crash out at some point, but that night is not tonight my friend... *SOB* That night is not tonight!)
Anyhow, where was I going with this prior to my completely irrelevant and slightly ADD meltdown? Oh, yeah, museums.
Actually, in all seriousness, I really like this article. Lindauer brought up a great perspective of instead of just visiting a museum, experience it. Pick it apart, take a critical eye to the displays, the interpretative panels, the various offerings. I really liked that. It seems so common sense, and yet when we visit museums, rarely does this thought cross our minds. We get so trapped in the way that we naturally look at the world and the inhabitants in it, that we forget, there are so many other views out there. So many basic things can become profound if your perspective is changed even slightly. I'm waxing poetic... Time to move on.
"Genealogy in the 'Information Age': History's New Frontier? by Elizabeth Shown Mills is another interesting piece. Her history of genealogical study - or generational history (I like that term)- gives a background for the development of the field. She criticizes those who criticize the field of genealogy, which I give her credit for. She cites sources to support her claim that genealogy is a viable field of study and can aid in bridging the gap between the general public and archivists. Not to mention, a relevant source of revenue.
Finally we reach G. Ellis Burcaw's Introduction to Museum Work.
This little book was surprisingly interesting. No offense to the author, but I was expecting to be bored. I'm not going to say that every page was positively scintillating, but interesting, nevertheless. For those of us that have never had any type a of museum course (i.e. me) it gave an introductory knowledge of the behind the scenes of gaining and maintaining a collection, along with how to best interpret that collection and involve the public. I would definitely keep it for reference later on. (Good thing, since I don't think the bookstore will take it back. Wonder if I can convince them that sucker was stuck to it when I got it? Yeah, probably not. I'm a terrible liar. I would likely come up with some tale about dragons and unicorns, maybe a fairy. Then not only would I be stuck with a candy coated book, but I would get the joy of a drug test and psych eval to boot!)
Anyhow, all things considered, as I say with most readings in this class, I actually liked the readings this week. Gaining new information can never be a bad thing. The more you know, the better prepared you are.
See below for the citation stuffs.
Burcaw, George Ellis. Introduction to Museum Work. Third ed. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press, 1997.
Lindauer, Margaret. "The Critical Museum Visitor." 203-225.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. "Genealogy in the "Information Age": History's New Frontier?" National Genealogical Society Quarterly, no. 91 (December 2003): 260-77.
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