The majority of museum, heritage and arts industry networking events I see leave a very definite chasm for a certain type of museum worker to try and cross over. An event may be welcoming, have good word of mouth, even be free to attend, but if it's held during the hours of the standard working week, there's your problem. It's not too complex to add greater access to networking events though.

Let's start with the issue, where events held during the standard working day assume that people either:

• Are sufficiently their own boss, with suitable staff cover or time management, to decide "I'm going to this". 
• Or, have management who realise the value of such events and are willing and able to arrange time out of work for them.
• Or, are willing and able to book their own holiday time to attend.

(Bear in mind that for many museum and gallery staff, their normal working week also includes weekends, and for some it includes regular evenings up to 10.00pm, but I'm talking broad strokes here)​

Some parts of the internet are just awful, little breeding pits for spite and horror. But then, you find those gems, those people or accounts who are just smart, supportive, informative, or plain old silly.

You may know of the Museum of English Rural Life as the twitter account where the staff, being allowed to have some fun, ended up with an absolute unit of a sheep go viral. It was unusual to say the least. The Mary Rose twitter people are also allowed some leeway for levity, bringing personality to their account. Attendant's VIew, urm, does what it likes, there's no managerial oversight here, just me spouting nonsense and ocassinally getting insenced at things.

Fine folks, let me take you on a journey with The Mary Rose...

https://twitter.com/TheMERL/status/1237022027040595969

When looking for advice and support online about recording a collection, and creating accompanying documentation, from almost scratch:

Most Sources: Hire a trained Archivist.
Me: Do you think I'd be searching the internet if that was an option?

Display label is missing from display.

Can't insert head into the cabinet at the right angle to see if it's dropped behind the display plinth.

Use phone to take a photo down the back of the plinth, to find the label is there.

Dob blue tack onto name badge, and use phone camera feed to see where to aim it behind the plinth.

Successfully stick name badge to display label and pull both out.

Replace display label in correct location.

Feel proud of ingenuity.

Realise no-one is around to recognise achievement.

Go and treat self to posh coffee to celebrate. 

That silence you hear? 
That's the blissful silence of a room not full of 11 to 16 year old children. 
Because they just ran through half of the museum like a swarm of whooping vermin and are now two rooms away.

Dear teacher, if you have just entered the room and are greeted by blissful silence, that's probably an indicator that your students are in another room.

If your students are in another room, you are no longer accompanying them on their visit.
Now is not the time for you to take a slow and gentle stroll, engrossed in each cabinet's contents.

Please don't look at me like that when I ask you to be in the same room as them.
It's not my fault that you bought a group of howler monkeys into a public space, who glared at me with barely veiled disdain and amusement when I asked them to stop running and shouting, and pointed out all of the glass hazards and other visitors.

-----

Asking your oldest student to make sure the others don't go into the third room is a sort of solution.
Half your students are now accompanied, the other half are now only one room away. Which is an improvement.

Eight students are leaning on a set of doors, obeying "Don't go in that room yet" while also forming an attractive barricade.

There are another couple chasing each other in circles around a glass cabinet.

-----

There's no education session or tour arranged, but trying to get them on board with not just running and yelling is worth a try.

Attempts to engage them in looking at things and taking an interest in anything for more than ten seconds is greeted by sullen silence, or flickering mayfly attention spans accompanied by yelled exclamations, or flat out walking away to annoy each other.

The teacher, now in the room, is vaguely apologetic, and haphazard in any attempt to regain control.
Yes, they are obviously enjoying themselves. But not really in any way I'd describe as positive.
Shouting "That looks like your minger sister! Minger! Minger! Minger!" is, in a way, engaging with the exhibits.

-----

Hang on, those six kids in the cafe... Oh, so they are part of the school group, but were slow eating lunch and the teacher decided they could catch up once finished.
​
Shall we revisit - If your students are in another room, you are no longer accompanying them on their visit?