Oh What A Night - and Day!

It was a dark and stormy night...actually, it was bright and clear, and we had a marvelous flight from Toronto to London. We had leg room, the crying baby stopped immediately once we were in the air, and they served us FOOD. I think it is safe to say that we would definitely fly Air Canada again. Still it was a very long "night" and when we arrived in Heathrow we were dragging. Some of us (me) tried to sleep, others watched movies all night. Once we reclaimed our luggage, we realized that despite our efforts to the contrary, we had overpacked.

It was great to be on the Tube heading into London. We met a very personable gentleman who not only helped us with our bags, but also engaged us in conversation about US politics - specifically, the Presdential election. He was not reticent to state an opinion, and soon we were joined by several other passengers who were eager to express their opinion as well - interestingly, they all shared a similar opinion.



After breakfast at our hotel (13 GBP($22?) - yikes!), we met up with Jackie Reilly, Curator for Early History and Collections for the Museum of London. Back on the Tube for an exploration of the new, very trendy Docklands area - and a visit to the Docklands Museum and the about-to-be-taken down Jack the Ripper Exhibit. Tracy and I were recruited by Scotland Yard to help solve the mystery.

Suffice it to say it was a wonderful day, and we managed to stay awake until 10:30pm London time (5 hours in advance of Virginia - you do the math!). We were very impressed by both the Docklands Museum - an excellent example of adaptive reuse - ad the Museum of London - truly a showcase for London history. It is late and I am tired so I will close with some random photos from today's tour of London, courtesy of the most excellent Jackie Reilly.

This is our Hotel - the Regency in South Kensington.

Sorry, can't figure out how to rotate this picture - it's late - good night!

Take Off, Eh

And they’re off!!

VAM’s 2008 British Oddysey commenced at 1:35pm with departure from Reagan National Airport. Here is a shot of our intrepid crew at the gate – from left to right: Deborah DeArechaga, Agecroft Hall; Anna Holloway, The Mariners’ Museum; Audrey Davis, Alexandria Black History Museum; Tracy Gillespie, Morven Park; and Margo Carlock, VAM.

We are sending our first posting from – of course – a bar in the airport in Toronto while waiting for our flight to London. We felt obligated to explore some of the local culture (see photo of Anna and Tracy with Molsons lager). Interestingly, no one at the bar knew anything about Molsons’ history,

although one nice Canadian couple sitting next to us could confirm that while Molsons was first brewed in Montreal, there are now breweries throughout Canada. (See photo of Nice Canadian Couple who chose, surprisingly, to remain anonymous).

We sent a team (Audrey and Deborah) to investigate material culture artifacts. Nachos ensued, and then it was time to board.

Next stop – Heathrow!

We're leaving on a jet plane!

The Virginia museum delegation is getting excited as their trip to the UK quickly approaches. Watch this space as we will be updating you on our activities at UK museums!

Margo

Economic Turmoil and Museums

We'd like to gather input from our members about the effects they are seeing in the following areas as a result of recent economic turmoil in our state and nation:

- donations
- expansion plans
- visitation
- school visits
- special programs
- anything else?

We'd love to hear what you have to say. Remember, we are always stronger when we stand together and solve problems with the help of others who share our overarching mission as museum professionals. Your input will help VAM help you!

Thanks and take care,

Heather Widener
Publications Coordinator, VAM

Saving Gas by Telecommuting

My Pacifica gets 17mpg, and my commute to the VAM office is 60 miles roundtrip. So it's not surprising that I have been feeling the gas pinch, and looking for ways to cut back. There is just so much you can save by consolidating trips, making one visit to the grocery store last a week, etc. We finally decided to test telecommuting for the VAM staff.

Jennifer, Bridget and I now work from home on Mondays and Fridays. Before you think "aha! long weekend" we chose those days because very, very few meetings happen on those days, particularly in summer, so it would be the least disruptive to our schedules to be at home those days.

It has been two weeks and it is working out pretty well! We have all been religious about being at our desks sending each other emails by 9am. As the summer progresses, I'll keep you all posted how its going, but here are some preliminary insights:

1) I find myself spending more concentrated time at work tasks - there aren't as many distractions - and 5pm slips past without my realizing it.

2) It never fails that some crucial item I need is in my office files (I need to learn to download any files I might want to work with on a flash drive). Unfortunately, our landlord's firewall prevents us from using GoToMyPC or LogMeIn or any of those other remote access programs.

3) I am having a hard time remembering to check my voice mail messages, but I'm on email all day. We are setting up call forwarding so that soon all calls will automatically go to our home phones.

With gas now over $4 gallon, I would love to hear what museums are doing to help their staff with the high cost of commuting. Anyone else trying telecommuting? How about compressing the workweek? What other options are being pursued?

-- Margo Carlock, Executive Director, VAM

Well, March is here at last and we at VAM are in a flurry of activity in preparation for our annual conference, which will take place from the 15th – 17th at The Homestead in Hot Springs. This year’s conference is special for many reasons. It’s our 40th anniversary, and we will be celebrating! We also have a jam-packed array of offerings for our members, plus opportunities to network and reflect. Add to that some ‘cosmic bowling’ and a keynote address by Ford Bell, the new AAM president and CEO, and we are in for quite an experience. Additionally, the conference is a time to realize goals that we have set, such as continuing the international exchange program with UK museum professionals, and expanding the VAM emergency response network and recruiting for our statewide Emergency Response Team. It is also a time to kick off new programs or initiatives. We will be distributing our first interactive resource for museum educators, a CD entitled “Serving the Community: Training Museum Educators to Meet Teacher Needs.” Look for it during Monday afternoon's Marketplace at the conference!

We are looking forward to March. It is a busy and exciting time! See you at The Homestead.

Margo Carlock

VAM Leadership to Testify in Maier Case

Following VAM's issue of a statement in opposition to the sale of pieces of art from the Maier Museum of Art's collection at Randolph College on the grounds that it is a violation of the public trust and of museum ethics, VAM has been asked to testify in a lawsuit that has been brought to halt the sale of works of art from the Maier Museum by Randolph College. Specifically, VAM President Scott Harris and VAM Executive Director, Margo Carlock (who gave a presentation on the topic of museum ethics and deaccessioning of museum works to Randolph College Board of Trustees Members prior to their decision to sell the art) will testify in a trial set for April 29 - May 1st.

While VAM leadership does not relish the idea of testifying, we are open to answering the questions the lawyers pose. VAM holds to its original stance that the college's decision was counter to widely held professional standards and violates the public trust. Our involvement in this trial will simply allow the legal system an opportunity to understand our professional mores, and the reasons behind them. Our position has been based upon principle and has been consistent throughout the process. When VAM was asked for advice prior to the decision being made, we advised against it. When the decision was made, we responded by stating that the decision ran counter to professional standards, and this stance will be reiterated for the public record during the trial.

For updates on the continuously evolving situation at Randolph College, check the following sites:
- Randolph College
- Preserve Educational Choice