More about change

April 22, 2009

(This is an excerpt from a post I left on the forum at www.Gunbroker.com. I am posting this here as I have received some questions and I thought it would be good for the blog, as well.)

As for the future of the Cody Firearms Museum, there will soon been an announcement for a national search to fill the position. I have not seen the announcement or any sort of updated job description, but I expect that the minimum requirements will be something along the lines of a Masters Degree in history, museum studies, etc., 3-5 years experience working with museum collections, and subject knowledge.

Now I know there are a lot of folks who think that because they are know-it-all about guns, former LEO/Military, etc., that they are qualified for this job (trust me, I have talked to them… *sigh*). What this does is qualify you to work as a volunteer for the Museum (actually one of our BEST volunteers knows nothing about guns except that you pull the trigger and it goes bang!).

A background in museums/museum management is necessary because most of the work required at this level is administrative, exhibits planning, and working with donors and an advisory board. If you are not someone who can compromise and work with a WIDE variety of personalities, museum work is not for you.

OK, I’ve gone on too long. However, I have already received the question to the above answer several times and wanted to nip it in the bud.

Cheers,

Dave K.


Business Trips

October 20, 2008

As I write this, I am sitting in an AVIS office at 34th and Main in Kansas City, MO. I am waiting for a lift from one of our museum members – I am taking him out for lunch. The Gentleman is a longtime member, purchaser of Factory Letters, and a great source of information on Model 21 Winchesters. Should be fun.

This has been a busy few days. One of my bosses and I flew to Oklahoma City and spent a couple days in Idabel at the Museum of the Red River. The MotRR is a GREAT small museum down in Southeast Oklahoma. Idabel is a wonderful town – kinda reminds me of my hometown in Illinois. Same size, same folks, same WalMart…

The reason we were in Idabel was two-fold. I gave a presentation about Western guns to a standing-room-only crowd on Friday night and took part in an “Antiques Roadshow”-type event on Saturday.

My ride is here, so more later.

Cheers,

Dave K.