A couple of weeks ago, Museums and the Web had their annual conference. As usual, I put up my hot takes post directly after the conference. Those posts are my chance to put down first ideas about the conference. Then, slowly, I let bigger ideas take hold to use for other longer posts. As I sifted through my ideas, an image kept coming back to me.
Museum technology people know the bizarre joy of singing karaoke with friends you only see twice a year. (Obviously, Koven Smith gets a thanks here for creating the platform for this idiosyncratic field pastime).
At MW19, I was sitting in a little club alongside an unnamed friend who was reminding me of his love of 80’s hair bands. I have written odes to my conference friends before, waxing sentimental about these ephemeral moments. Usually, conferences, not just karaoke, are a moment to revel in the successes of the field and enjoy debates about the future.
But, at MW19, my mind was elsewhere. I was in the midst of co-writing an article about the ways salary effects staff engagement. My own thoughts about workforce issues were echoed in conversations at the conference and on Twitter. So, that night, while I was watching the ridiculousness that was Whitesnake’s hair, my mind was on the way the field makes the work we do challenging.
