[NHCOLL-L:1896] Re: Threatened Collections

[Panza, Robin]

>>>From: David Richman [mailto:nmbugman at taipan.NMSU.Edu]
Is it worth it to do so when a united collection would just become a
target for cost-cutting bureaucrats!  Is it not better to remain small
collections within a single department and be subject to the whims of
our department heads and at least have a modest chance of survival?<<<

Well, it could go either way.  On the one hand, it's easier to be overlooked
if you're small.  However, labor unions have shown that a larger body has
certian advantages, too.  Small bits are easier to cut out, with little
effective outcry.  A single collection, tied to a single class and one
professor's research, might be an easier target than a united natural
history entity, with its connections to a variety of courses and research
programs.

Robin

Robin K Panza
Section of Birds, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh  PA  15213  USA
phone:  412-622-3255;    fax:  412-622-8837
panzar at carnegiemuseums.org