Every Post Where It Says “history Books Leave This Out” And “historians Are Trying To Hide This

I'm having a hard idea coming up with an exact point, but I want to talk a bit about my field of expertise. I have a master's degree in history and work in a museum. I know so many people who are leaving the museum field (or who never got in) because it's extremely underfunded so people are overworked and underpaid. Budgets are precarious so most people are working contract to contract because institutions simply can't commit to hiring people permanently. MANY museums have one person doing the work of 3-5 people and they're making little over minimum wage. Burnout is a huge issue.

I hit the jackpot when I snagged a permanent full time position in a museum with a relatively healthy workplace culture. I make just enough to make ends meet and pay my student loans, and that's more than I can say for most of the people my age I know in the museum field.

But people constantly complain that our museum is only open 8 hours a day, six days a week, that we don't offer more public programs, that we don't have more exhibit changes. Meanwhile our budget, which comes from the government, has been status quo for almost a decade. That means we have the same budget now as we did ten years ago, even as the cost of utilities, staff, insurance, everything had increased. My museum is running on what is essentially a skeleton staff. We need 12 more people to have a comfortable distribution of duties and 23 to reach our full potential. (We have 24 permanent staff so we essentially need to double our work force).

People want their museums (and their libraries and art galleries and many other institutions) to offer endless, cutting edge services but they aren't willing to pay a small tax hike to fund them. People honestly think it's perfectly reasonable to expect a museum to expand its services when its budget has essentially been cut every year for a decade.

Museum exhibits and programs don't appear out of thin air. They take weeks, months, sometimes years of research, writing, conservation work, graphic design, and community consultations. Before they even start to be installed! The people behind each of these parts have specialized education and training. And most of them are making a bit over minimum wage if they're lucky.

People work in museums because we're passionate about them, but that doesn't pay the bills! People love their local museums until it's time to fund them. People love to complain about what their museum isn't offering but grumble and groan when a museum tries to fundraise from its community.

Basically if you want cultural institutions in your community you need to support them! If you can't donate, visit! TONS of museum grants are based on the number of feet through the door. If a local museum admission fee is too high for you to access, find out which level of government funds it and write to that representative. (Also see if your museum has days with reduced or free admission or if you can rent a membership from your local library, libraries renting out memberships to museums and galleries is becoming more and more common).

This is a very winding post and idk what I was aiming for but I needed to get it out.

gawaingirlies stay ga-w(a)inning. that’s what I always say.

My mom took this really blurry picture of (basically) the full cosplay. I'm all ready for tomorrow! We didn't get to make the pants so I'm going to have to wear leggings that weren't handmade. I'm going to be medieval England!

In Children's Lit. class:

Me: *suggests idea*

Them: *brushes it off as verbal shitposting*

Them: *suggests the same thing a few weeks later*

Them: *decides to go with it*

Me: I did that, it was my idea.

Them: ew why is she so caught up on that jeez we've all suggested stuff.

((Messing around as England = punk England.))

Thinking about the werewolf from the hate mail Lemgo council pharmacist David Welman (1595 - 1669) got after being accused of being a werewolf

Holy shit, can you imagine if mediaeval monks had figured out flipbooks?

SHAKESPEARE

Listen, you all knew I was a major dork already. 

These are the posters I made as decorations for the English dept. grad party. As this year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, we obviously went with a theme. If you are into typography, you can see my freehand attempts at the First Folio typeface. But my pride and joy is the brilliant new party game, Pin the Beard on the Bard. 

Yes, the party was grand fun. And no, improvising cardstock beards for my friends to tape to a judgmental drawing of Shakespeare had not been a life goal, but I am proud to have achieved it nonetheless..

Nyo America aesthetic. @miss-united-states

That moment when you're at a Japanese baffet and the one girl who works there asks if you need more Pepsi in the cutest voice and you go, wow, I'm not straight. She said it so quiet and like "Pepi-si?" And her eye makeup was cute and her face was cute and she just ughdkdkfsnvd small cute. V nice.