at MCN in Chicago: Town Hall Conversation on Professionalism and Leadership

the second plenary session is focused on the role MCN might play in the development of information professionals in the museum field. building on issues from last year -- feedback on challenges and impediments in own job and role of mcn -- the floor was opened for discussion around these topics:

1. communication with administration: helping management understand the issues and value in museum tech
2. professionalization of the field (including core competencies?)
3. resources and role of mcn [facilitating doing own jobs and enabling collaboration; e.g. job descriptions, project registry]

suggestions on resources MCN could develop from Paul Marty:

1. job descriptions
2. project registry
3. shared bibliography/reading list
4. instituitonal repository
5. open source software/tools

Holly Witchey: why doesnt this field publish? Practicioners don't write... should we be expecting them to?

jt: why doesn't this field share what it knows? we have the full bibliography from Museums and the Web and ICHIM online now. but people don't write for this conference, people don't blog or comment on blogs. it's not hard, you just need to do it. a profession requires a codified and shared body of knowledge. without that, it's a group of practiioners. for example, i am willing to scan the back issues of Spectra and make them available -- but does MCN want that to happen?

Len Steinbach: we need to remember that people are the best resource. MCN should be making people and their expertise more accessible. he's reminded that MCN publishes its membership list.

PM: MCN-L works as a means of scanning the field quickly.

DB: so MCN should use the tools that exists:

• leicester has job descriptions
• archimuse has bibliography
• linkedIn has connections between people
• listserv to queries community
• What's the problem ...

Douglas Hegley: but we also we need to figure out the ways that we can filter these materials so that, for example, materials are coallated from what's out there.

New Question: what's useful from the conference? Do workshops help?

Susan Patterson: how many people prepare reports and distribute them? these are a way that we can share what we learn with the rest of our institution.PM: maybe these should also be shared more broadly?

Sam: MCN could be a focus for the collection of information about tech and museums; to do this requires that we all step up to the plate to help.

Tim Gaddy {educator] needs some scaffolding -- a way into the field from someone who is outside it, or just interested in it.

Question: What is useful for reporting to your institution?

• jt: we ask this question every year on the MW evaluations, and we've found that people use the proceedings first, then the abstracts and then other things. the one thing that they sometimes ask for that we don't do is put the presenters' slides online.
• richard urban notes that all that he has when he gets back from MCN is a pocket full of receipts... that's not enough.