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An interesting take on being a Museum Attendant

4/1/2014

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I'm mid way into selling/moving house (anyone fancy an 1888 house with period features in Nottingham?) so on top of Christmas insanity I haven't got any new comics sorted or scanned. I have a nice gem for you though in this old blog: http://ihatepicasso.wordpress.com

Get your brain past the fact English is her second language, and think through her bit of a plea about how Alexandria found her  role to be a conflict of interests. 

The Attendants are groomed to their job by senior Attendants and the tradition they upkeep is passed from the earliest times of the Museum. This tradition conflicts with the Museums current ambitions, as it is attempting to provide a customer service-experience for all audiences. The traditional tasks of Attendants seem more concerned on keeping suspicious characters away from the Museum then showing effort to invite new people to the “Temple..”
...
The baffling part of this performance is that everything is done passively. If you see a Attendant talking excitedly or gazing an artwork intensively you are seeing a bad worker. The only thing an Attendant is to do is stand in the exhibition rooms and look for sighs of trouble or situation S\he could “be of assistance” in. 

My experience of working in museums thus far has thankfully been sites where interaction is broadly encouraged, as engaging with customers is not only good for them but also for business (they enjoy it and stay longer, so spend more, and recommend to friends) Admittedly a previous workplace did eventually try to subtly steer attendants away from this, as the staffing was thin and security was paramount, but it is still allowed in a smaller degree. 

As sites decrease staffing and have to made hard choices, staff are increasingly concerned (such as here)  and not only over security, but also rightly over the changes to the visitor experience. Keep on juggling and smiling...

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