The many ‘faces’ of museums, or what is expected of museum attendants today
MúzeumCafé 44.
The museum attendant is the ‘face’ of a museum, whose task is to ensure that visitors have a positive feeling about the ‘museum experience’. In most places they receive the minimum wage, though ever more is required of them. A basic requirement is secondary education, although there is hardly a museum without attendants who have diplomas. In the Museum of Fine Arts 25% have completed higher education and 50% have passed an exam in a foreign language. All staff members are familiar with the English expressions related to their work. Other requirements involve the ability to maintain good relations, to behave politely, to be able to adjust to new exhibitions and events, and to have an open attitude. The museum management aims to ensure that the most promising, most ambitious, graduate attendants can become part of the professional staff. In most cases, the work of attendants involves more than just guarding. Depending on the volume of visitors, they also have other small-scale operative tasks, and they are present during events, or when rooms are hired out. They keep their eye on exhibitions and assist the museum’s educational work with constructive criticism. All this requires some training. Apart from health and safety instruction, the training by museum professionals involves teaching attendants about the tasks associated with their role and passing on communication and language skills. Part of this concerns the presentation of permanent and temporary exhibitions, and their locations. After instruction and training, mentors with a long period of service work with the newcomers so that they can become familiar with their tasks in practice. In most places the attendants are state employees, but sometimes the work is outsourced to human resource agencies. Occasionally there are no permanent attendants at all.