From "State of Affairs - An Economy of Museum Work Today" paper presented on panel "Critiquing the Show" at the 2013 Council of American Jewish Museum's Conference, New York, New York, February 2013.

1. State
of
Affairs
Zachary
Paul
Levine,
Curator
at
Yeshiva
University
Museum
An
Economy
of
Museum
Work
Today
InerCa
vs
ReinvenCon:
Why
“Business
as
Usual”
No
Longer
Works
CAJM,
2013

2. Caveat
The
findings
presented
in
this
presentaCon
were
part
of
an
informal
survey
I
undertook
across
staff
at
Jewish
museums
and
similar
insCtuCons
in
the
United
States
for
the
CAJM
2013
conference.
It
is
not
meant
to
be
authoritaCve,
but,
rather,
was
meant
to
inspire
conversaCon
about
the
future
of
our
field.
However,
here
are
some
general
points
about
the
survey.
• About
100
respondents
• Age
distribuCon
evenly
weighted,
with
majority
in
their
30s
and
40s
• Majority
of
respondents
work
in
curatorial
and
educaCon

3. Working
at
a
small
insCtuCon
=
• Many
Hats
• Challenges
in
finding
resources
Is
this
descripCon
parCcularly
novel?
• Financial
Constraints
• Changing
Visitor
ExpectaCons
• PossibiliCes
of
New
Media
(and
the
means
to
develop
it)
• OpportuniCes
for
InteresCng
Work
• Diminishing
Staff
Capacity
Daily
Life
for
a
(RelaCvely
New)
Curator

4. Challenges
to
ExhibiCon
Development
• Staffs
are
Stretched
Thin
(Mentorship)
• Visitors’
ExpectaCons
for
Media
• Visitors’
Learning
Styles
OpportuniCes
• Growth
in
Jewish
Studies
Fields
• Increasingly
Inexpensive
Means
for
Media
Development
• Wide
Array
of
Accepted
InterpretaCve
Approaches
Daily
Life
for
a
(RelaCvely
New)
Curator
• Access
to
Relevant
InformaCon
• Access
to
Relevant
InformaCon

5. Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
Survey
of
Jewish
Museum
Colleagues

6. Survey
ParCcipants
Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
• Over
50%
in
the
Field
for
7
years
or
less
• Over
70%
at
Jewish,
Holocaust
or
Synagogue
museum
• Most
ParCcipants
from
Curatorial
or
EducaCon
(56%)

7. Staff
Changes
Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
• Number
of
Staff
Losses
and
Gains
About
Equal
• Some
Full-­‐Time
Replaced
by
Part-­‐Time
• 62%
report
staff
changes
have
led
to
more
responsibiliCes
• Nearly
50%
have
harder
jobs
because
of
finances

8. Necessary
Supplies
to
Do
the
Job
Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
• Only
53%
feel
they
have
the
resources
they
need
• Nearly
50%
provide
their
own
supplies
on
occasion

9. Feelings
Toward
Work
and
InsCtuCon
Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
• 96%
report
they’re
saCsfied
with
the
quality
of
their
work
• 72%
enjoy
their
jobs
• Nearly
40%
report
low
morale
dominant
among
colleagues
BUT
• 39%
report
increase
in
visitor
saCsfacCon
over
5
years

10. Career
Development
Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
• 44%
support
skill
development
(course,
workshops,
conferences,
etc.)
• 54%
feel
their
insCtuCon
is
disinterested
in
professional
development
• Over
60%
report
receiving
no
mentorship

11. Career
Development
Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
• 62%
see
no
opportuniCes
for
advancement
• While
64%
anCcipate
a
career
in
museums…
…only
35%
are
dedicated
to
Jewish
museum
work…
…and
this
figure
is
almost
enCrely
among
respondents
with
the
longest
tenure
already

12. Findings
Are
Our
InsCtuCons
Taking
Advantage?
• Our
museums
are
grappling
with
a
host
of
challenges
• In
spite
of
opportuniCes
to
enhance
their
work,
staff
do
feel
their
insCtuCons
fail
to
invest
in
taking
advantage
of
those
opportuniCes
• PotenCal
to
spiral
deleteriously
RecommendaCons
• Strategic
culCvaCon
of
staff
skills
• Investment
in
necessary
tools
• Re-­‐envisioning
exhibiCon
development
capaciCes

13. For
more
informaCon,
please
contact
Zachary
Paul
Levine
at
zlevine@yum.cjh.org