Some of our employees have expressed concern about visitors to our historic mine tour bringing backpacks, bags, etc., underground on the tour. As we also have a DOE high energy physics lab at the bottom of our mine, this seems to be a valid concern in the post 9-11 days. With that said, could anyone give information on storage lockers for museums-historic sites? Do the public balk at using them or is it just accepted. Also, on a related note, does anyone have suggestions on vendors for such an item? While we will address the security risk, we are operating on a tight budget, as are most of you out there. Finally, we were wondering about tightened security at sites without uniformed security guards. I was a the Gilcrease in Tulsa over the holidays, and they checked purses, but it appeared this was done by a docent, but I could be wrong here. Has there been reluctance on the part of employees to search bags or purses, and if so, how was this dealt with. Thanks in advance. Oh, in grad school I learned the practice of archaeologists discussing deep matters, such as who was dating who(m), over drinks was the science of fluid dynamics, a science I have failed to master! Again thanks for the help.
Richard A. Fields Mine Interpretive Supervisor Soudan Underground Mine State Park P.O. Box 335 Soudan, MN 55782
(218) 753-2245/ Fax 2246
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Backpacks carry a particular risk of causing damage. There is a much greater risk of inadvertantly knocking into an object with a back pack because the person carrying it is considerably less aware of where the bag is than if they have a bag they carry in their hand.
We ban backpacks at our historic houses for this reason. Both people carrying bags and lockers pose security risks from a terrorist perspective (although the risks are different). Bags carried round with you can also pose a risk from a theft point of view.
Trevor Reynolds Collections Registrar, English Heritage Room G01, 23 Savile Row, London, W1S 2ET, UK tel: +44 (0)20 7973 3482 fax: +44 (0)20 7973 3001 (GTN 3503 3482)
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I think some valid points have been raised on this topic.
Depending on where you are located & how people get to your site, you might opt for lockers over leaving bags in a car. It can be frustrating for someone using public transportation to be told they cannot bring their bag into a site. They have no car to leave it in. Likewise, bus tour groups will most likely not feel comfortable leaving bags such as purses on an unattended bus. One museum I was affiliated with a while back did not allow bags in the museum exhibit areas. This made sense, because the exhibits were about computer development and they had problems of parts 'walking away'. This museum did not have a very user-friendly way of implementing this policy. They had walk-in nooks for coats to be hung up, with a shelf above for hats, bags, etc. These areas were not constantly supervised & was available to anyone in the museum. When I was visiting the museum, I did not feel comfortable leaving my bag there. In this case, lockable lockers would have been much more user-friendly for visitors. Just my $.02 worth. :)
Bridgette Kelly curator/archivist (still job-hunting!) :)
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Concerning the use of lockers, personally I hate it. If I am carrying the bag, I must be doing so for a reason and having to put it in a locker defeats that reason entirely. Frankly, in Europe, I have never been asked to leave my bag. Have staff check it going in and out, yes, but leave it somewhere, no. I know many people who feel the same way and some that feel the opposite: they see lockers as a convenience. You'll get some of both, no doubt. However, I understand that there just some environments where it is a safety issue for the collections to have people with large bags wondering around (due to space constraints). I think this needs to be explained UP FRONT. I especially like the parking lot idea. It really pisses me off to have to walk back to the car because they won't let my all-in-one purse/diaper bag backpack in the museum. (Actually I left, because no mother in her right mind would go anywhere with an 8 month old and no diaper bag,) My biggest peeve however, is that many museums seem to discriminate based on age of carrier or type of bag. I have been asked to leave my backpack when older women with purses the same size are not asked to leave theirs. And when I did carry a large purse-type diaper bag combo, I wasn't asked to leave it and others with school backpacks on were asked to leave theirs. Inconsistency looks very discriminatory. I would think that being up front and consistent would be key. Also, why are you asking for people to put their bags in lockers? If it is due to space constraints, I think most people will understand and accepting. If it is because you think someone might bring something in or out of the museum, I think bag checking is a much better solution personally.
Lori Allen lap4b@STUDENTMAIL.UMSL.EDU
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I would be concerned about having storage lockers on the property in light of terrorism and American copy cat weirdos. Asking visitors to leave their possessions in their car is certainly within reason.
Joann Lindstrom Collections Consultant 380 Back West Creek Road Berkshire, NY 13736-2900 607-642-5078 voice 607-642-5494 fax
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When I went to Fallingwater (a Frank Lloyd Wright historic house in SW Pennsylvania), there was a person at the entrance to the property, before we even reached the parking lot, handing out slips of paper. The slip stated that bulky purses, camera bags, etc. would absolutely not be allowed in and to be sure to leave them in the car.
You don't need to buy lockers if you do it that way.
Robin K Panza Section of Birds, Carnegie Museum of Natural History 4400 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA phone: 412-622-3255 fax: 412-622-8837 panzar@carnegiemuseums.org
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January issue of Invaluable & Trace magazine
http://www.invaluable.com/
The January issue of Invaluable & Trace magazine is now available, packed with seventeen pages of the latest stolen alerts, and all the latest news and views on theft and protection of art and antiques.
News pages feature Trace's latest recoveries including oil paintings by Samuel John Egbert Jones and Walter Hugh Paton. Sarah Jane Checkland reports on thefts by crooked curators.
Regular expert advice columns include Milton Silverman's contribution: the lowdown on the legal minefield entered when police seize suspected stolen property. David Needham, Trace's resident insurance specialist, unravels the knotty issue of constructive total loss and partial loss.
Features include a look at the latest security technology by John Leaver. Katrina Burroughs offers an update on the most recent theories surrounding the notorious Millennium Eve theft of Cezanne's 'Auvers sur Oise' from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
For a regular subscription email yann.rio@invaluable.com or write to Invaluable & Trace, 76 Gloucester Place, London W1U 6HJ, England or tel 020 7487 3401 http://www.invaluable.com/
Beijing Strengthens Relics Protection
BEIJING, Jan 11, 2002 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Beijing has made significant progress in relic protection of historic sites and relics over the past year, said an official in charge of relic protection in the national capital. Mei Ninghua, director of the municipal cultural heritage bureau, said that by the end of November last year, the city government had set aside 190 million yuan (22.81 million U.S. dollars) for the restoration of 98 historic sites. Various interested organisations donated 600 million yuan (72.28 million U.S. dollars) for the maintainence of these sites. To date, 15 restoration projects have been completed and 34 are still under way. Mei said that this year, maintenance will start on 28 more projects. According to the official, in May, 2001 the city government allocated 330 million yuan (39.75 million U.S. dollars) to repair or restore some 100 historic sites and relics. Those which come under the plan include ancient city walls, former residences of imperial families and famous historical figures, temples, and sections of the Great Wall. At present, Beijing has 3,500 historic sites, with a total floor space of 2 million square meters. Some, such as the Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven are on the World Cultural Heritage list. http://library.northernlight.com/
Intramural Discord at Dublin Museum
Brian Lavery New York Times Service Saturday, January 12, 2002
DUBLIN The 10-year-old Irish Museum of Modern Art here has occasionally struggled in its short history. But these days, even seasoned members of Ireland's small art world blanch at the boardroom turmoil and infighting at the museum. The trouble started a year ago when an ambitious chairwoman, Marie Donnelly, discharged the revered director who had run the museum since it opened in 1991. After a lengthy court battle, the director, Declan McGonagle, won $520,000 in compensation and held on to his job until April. Then last month the difficult selection of a new director prompted the resignation of Donnelly and three other board members. The museum, known as IMMA, is still without a permanent director. The drawn-out affair has put the museum onto the front pages - a series of vitriolic resignation letters were circulated to the press - and people who have never set foot in the place are talking about the fall of Donnelly. Now that the dust has started to settle, the problems seem self-evident: a director who overstayed his welcome, a voice for change that rubbed people the wrong way and an institution still struggling to create a relevant role for itself and to forge links with Irish artists. The Irish like to see the mighty laid low - they even call "begrudgery" a national trait - and Donnelly has suffered the harsh glare of the media spotlight here. (Repeated efforts to reach her for this article were unsuccessful.) Newspaper articles were critical of her personally, even criticizing her haute couture fashion sense and the modern design of her new home, painstakingly designed to house her art collection. An unsigned article in The Sunday Times said she "wreaked havoc" at the museum. Meanwhile the museum's management is headed by Philomena Byrne, formerly director of public affairs. "The whole work of the museum has been progressing quite smoothly in spite of all this," she said. The museum had 300,000 visitors in 2001, the highest number since 1997. Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times's art critic, said that Donnelly's decision to replace McGonagle may have been crudely handled, but that it also could have been necessary to keep the visions of the museum's early days from stagnating. "There was a widespread feeling in the art world that a fundamental shift was needed at IMMA," he said. "The museum has to establish itself as a presence in the city and the country." http://www.iht.com/
JEWISH MUSEUM IN HOLOCAUST-‘ART' FLAP
January 11, 2002 -- A controversial art exhibit that makes daring and disturbing use of Nazi images is coming to the Jewish Museum of New York - and generating heated debate before it’s even opens.
more: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37656.htm