nashiitashii, I bet you work at the Morikami Museum and Gardens! One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, and the research library is very impressive (I’m a librarian myself).
see, that’s pitworthy. gum, loud seniors, eh, not so much
I’m not surprised to see people getting defensive about gum-chewing, nashiitashii. When the story in your linked article first happened, the majority of the anger here seemed to be directed at the museum for daring to claim the damaged painting was worth $1.5 million.
Beyond the possibility of sticking gum to an object, I was wondering if the OP objected to gum chewing because (as Lissa pointed out) of the spit that you don’t realize comes out of your mouth when you’re chewing gum. I’m thinking more of the rules we had when I worked in a hospital pharmacy- no eating, drinking, or gum in the room where you make the IVs because of the chewing/spit thing. A fine spray, I"m sure, but nothing I’d want in/on my IV or my priceless art. Although if they’re worried about that, they would be better off to enforce a no talking rule, since you probably spit a lot more when you talk then when you chew.
While we’re at it, can they make a “no coughing” rule? If so, I’d spend practically all my public time in the museum.
I had this boss for several years who chewed gum constantly with his mouth open. Evidently “chew” is an onomatopoeia (sp?). Our lab was all computers but the rest of the labs in the building were “normal” chemistry labs. People had to keep reminding him that you can not go into a “normal” lab while eating, drinking or smoking. Sometimes we’d be sitting at the computers, everybody working quietly away, all you could hear was the clicks of mice, the tapping of keys… and the loud chew-chew-chew-smack-bffFFFffBANG!-smack-chew of the boss’ chewing gum.
One day, one of my coworkers ended up asking him to please leave or at least close his mouth. He thought it was a joke. Then he saw our faces. “Uh, you’re not kidding, are you?” “No. And the rest of us would appreciate the silence, too.”
Ugh. One of my peeves, too.
At the British Museum, I was looking at the exhibits in the Egyptian section (including the Rosetta Stone) and some guy stops in front of a bust that must have been on the order of 3500 years old. There was a sign on the pedestal marked “DO NOT TOUCH”. So what does he do? Yup, runs his hand over the bust. Asshole.
As someone who worked in a university library system for five years, I’ve seen some truly jerkish behavior. Theft of materials, half-eaten food left in study carrels, piles of feces left on the kickstools, and at least one public masturbator. Yeek.
Are there any people who regard museums as a place to make love? i wonder if any couples have ever been busted making love on an egyptian tomb or something!
One thing about the Science Center is that at least, kids are allowed to be loud and kind of excited, and most of the exhibits are hands on, so we don’t have to ask them not to touch anything. BUT, we do have to remind them not to run, and if I see one more pair of roller sneakers, I’m going to scream.
Ralph, I don’t know about museums, but the library I used to work in had that problem. Occasionally we’d find used condoms in the study rooms. Ick.
I’m with you on the gum chewing. It’s annoying. If food isn’t allowed, it’s also against the rules.
There has been a trend towards more gum chewing recently. People in an office environment seem to love chewing gum recently. During meetings, even on the phone! I’m with Oprah on this one. If I owned the company, chewing gun would be a fireable offense.
I can’t imagine being rude and dense enough to walk into a quiet research library while smacking on a mouthful of gum.
You mostly covered my reasons why I’m irked at gum chewers. 1. I think it’s kind of a gross habit. 2. With what training I had in school, I’ve had experience handling objects, and, well, sometimes it makes you afraid that you might sneeze and damage the object that way. Gum really isn’t any different in that respect.
Yes, many of the objects are covered. However, I’ve also been witness at other museums to people trying to TOUCH objects that are uncovered that are both delicate and many times older than the middle-aged person touching them. (My inner museum worker then starts going “No, bad! No touch!” and I try my best to not be an annoying visitor, but I generally will tell a security guard if I think the object is in danger of being damaged.)
Big Bad Voodoo Lou: Why, yes, I do work there. It’s gorgeous, the exhibits change seasonally (come check out the one we’ve got now: traditional ceramics and Japanese men’s accessories/netsuke), and the collections room is full of lots of cool stuff. (Yes, I have gotten a chance to handle the samurai armor. It was both exhilarating and a bit scary, as, well, the stuff is in a really delicate condition because it’s so old.) The festivals are fun, but really busy, and it costs a LOT of money these days to rent out the facilities for weddings and other events. If you haven’t eaten at the outdoor restaurant, try it out. They’ve got great traditional dishes, and a few that are Japanese style but inspired by local foods that are available. (mmmm, almond crusted grouper with citrus glaze. ::drools:
One of the reasons I’m in the library is because there has to be someone to make sure that people don’t steal the books. Another is to do book accessions (i.e. process them so that they’re in the system and ready to be shelved) and archival work. I enjoy doing this work because I get to learn about things as I go along, and generally most people are nice and interested in learning about the collections. Sometimes, though, you get people that think that the museum/library is a form of entertainment akin to the movie theatres or the arcade, and, well, it isn’t. We’re a little more formal and a little more strict because, although we want you to learn while you’re here and have access to the knowledge we have available, we want to be able to preserve the delicate materials that we have for others in the future to enjoy. Things like food, drink, gum chewing (with your mouth open), and flash photography aren’t allowed for the simple reason that it directly adds to the things that are already causing deterioration in the collections on display.
wring: Giving a loud (unofficial) tour in the library when there are others trying to study (we do offer classes, and some people like to study in the library afterward) with lots of rambling and “oh, isn’t that nice?” in a very loud voice is disruptive, and, as I’ve said before, if people are complaining, I ask them to please talk more quietly, not tell them to shut up in general.
Well, this isn’t only spit-- this is sugar-laden spit (and probably some other chemicals, too.)
Provided you only spit on the Mondrians.
My band once had the opportunity to play for a private function in an art museum. The piano that we were asked to use was in a room that was down a small set of steps from the main gallery and filled with Chihuly blown glass sculptures. One wall was completely covered with a display of Chihuly water colors. It was gorgeous, really.
Anyway, we were being ever so careful not to come anywhere near the walls or the sculptures while we were loading our gear in and setting up but then, during the event, I watched in horror as some guy walked up to this fabulous Chihuly bowl that was perched on a 5’ pedestal and tip the thing toward him so he could see if there was anything inside. I though sure it was going to hit the floor. It didn’t but it was a close call. I just couldn’t believe someone could be so cavalier about a valuable piece of art that was made of glass!
People just don’t think sometimes.
IIRC, a small Chihuly piece was on sale in the gift shop of The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach last summer for over $5,000. That guy in your story would be wise to exercise more caution in the future, as I’m sure the museum would’ve asked more than $5,000 to replace said glass piece he was fiddling with.
Lissa, I can understand your horror in your thread from a few years ago. Imagine having to tell adults not to touch a 200+ year old portrait of Napoleon (an original, too!) that is hanging on the wall, or an original print from The Description of Egypt. Good gods, some of these adults and their insistence on touching things that are MUCH older than them!
No it is not. Just because you’re responsible doesn’t mean there aren’t hordes of young people spitting on the exhibits. Geez. You’re contributing to the destruction of these artifacts.
Does this mean I shouldn’t be using my neti pot in the museum or library?
I do understand it. We have many priceless, important and irreplaceable pieces.
I was once present when our archivist brought out an illuminated Book of Hours (dated to the 12th century.) The archivist, wearing cotton gloves, carefully placed the book into the holder. The woman who had asked to view it, snaked out a hand and began to rub the page between her fingers. The best archivists are cranky old ladies and ours certainly gave this woman an earful.
Whoosh, baby, whoosh. Unless you understood what Millerb was doing originally, and you’re continuing to riff on it. Then the whoosh is to me.
To give you a little insight into why adults still touch things, some of us are very tactile - I would touch everything if I could. I am not a barbarian, however, and I know this about myself, and I will sometimes go to the extent of putting my hands in my pockets or behind my back if the urge becomes strong in places where I know damned well I can’t touch.