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Dear List: Below is an article about the Clark Art Institute reorganization in which the library has been hit hardest while the institute claims to be focused on outreach. If you are as unnerved as I am I urge you to contact the Institute [log in to unmask] Thank you, Amy Booth Raff ============================== Clark sheds, adds staff to aid outreach Friday, August 29, 2003 Berkshire Eagle Staff WILLIAMSTOWN -- As part of a reorientation of the museum's mission, a staff realignment at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute has resulted in the departure of 11 staff members, who were offered and then accepted early retirement and "voluntary separation" packages. At the same time, the world-renowned museum has hired 13 new staffers as part of a new, long-range plan approved by the trustees to enhance public education, membership programs and regional outreach. "The new long-range plan outlines a number of initiatives that will serve many more students and will enhance our service to the community," said Michael Conforti, director of the Clark, in a prepared statement. "These new initiatives will build on the broad programs in which the Clark is currently engaged throughout the Berkshires and beyond." "We want to be a more active member of our community, and this shift and the resulting programming will reflect that," said Francis Oakley, president of the Clark. "We realize it will be a challenging time for our staff, but we know that the end result will be an even stronger institution that will play a greater role as a community resource and provide more educational services for our local schools and area residents," Oakley's statement said. "The Clark has offered early retirement and voluntary separation packages to a select group of employees who meet the specific criteria outlined by the trustees," said Tony King, the museum's deputy director. "The number of employees currently working at the Clark will increase slightly after the reorganization is complete and new staff is hired." According to King, the Clark currently employs regular full-time, part-time, and seasonal staff equivalent to 81 full-time employees. "At the end of this process, we will have the equivalent of 83 full-time staff working at the Institute," he said. New staff people will be hired in the areas of public education and external affairs. In an interview last night, King explained that while "education, research and the collection of art remains the core mission" of the Clark, an increased emphasis on programs involving the schools and the community "will drive us into the future." "These are areas where we may have been underutilizing our resources," he said, citing the goal of "greater participation" in educational programs. He said details of the new outreach programs will be announced later. The areas affected by realignment include the museum's prominentresearchlibrary, which will see a reduction in service functions while maintaining acquisitions and other resources. Internal studies have shown that users of the library, who are mainly professional researchers, will not be hampered by the streamlining of service, an announcement from the museum said. "We do not foresee any changes in service in the library," King said, because of new, digital technology that "creates efficiencies" in that area. Elaborating on the new, long-range focus approved by the trustees, Oakley explained that the museum has achieved "great success" in the areas central to its mission -- collections, exhibitions and research. "Since 1995, the institute has strengthened our exhibition program and developed its seminal research and academic program through the creation of international conferences and the Clark Fellows program," Oakley said. "The board now wants to address public education and community outreach more broadly in order to extend our educational resources to a wider range of elementary and secondary students and deepen our relationship with the community," he added. According to the museum's announcement, the Clark's annual attendance has increased dramatically over the past decade to an average of 175,000 to 200,000, making it the second-largest tourist attraction in the Berkshires next to Tanglewood. Attendance for this summer's special exhibition, "Turner: The Late Seascapes," is expected to top 80,000 when it closes on Sept. 7, making 2003 the third best summer in Clark history. Since 1995, membership has more than doubled, and the museum's operating budget has increased by 134 percent, the announcement said. Currently, the Clark's education department serves more than 9,000 elementary and secondary school students from the Northeast each year. The institute's school busing program provides free transportation to any qualifying school that can travel to the Clark as a day trip. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101%257E7514%257E1598519,00.html?search=filter# --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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