Bishop Museum Financial Stress and Changes
 
Today's headline in the Hawaii section of the Honolulu Advertiser reads 
"Bishop Museum to slash 20 positions".
 
The Bishop Museum was designated the State Museum of Natural and 
Cultural History in 1988 by the state legislature which also included a 
provision for regular annual financial support of the museum.  This 
support amounted to $805,000 in 1997, or about 3% of the museum budget. 
 The state's business concerns are under severe economic stress with 
daily announcements of new layoffs as business responds to decreased 
revenue.
 
The state, itself, has in the past four years or so changed from an 
annual sizable surplus of funds (with minor returns to the tax payers) 
to threatened and unconstitutional deficits, largely due to poor state 
and especially, legislative, mismanagement.  Now the state budget 
director recommends that the support to the Bishop Museum be reduced to 
zero and the provision for annual mandatory support be eliminated.  
Probably, given the current ecconomic climate, if there was a public 
vote to fund either Education and Social Support programs or the museum, 
the museum would lose. 
 
The museum, of course, must live within a budget.  Income comes from 
donations, income on capital investments, and from entrance receipts 
plus grants for scientific projects plus contracts for various 
investigative work done for the state (primarily archeological).  The 
entrance receipts are of great importance.  Departments’ projects and 
personnel receiving grants that fund their existence are probably 
secure.  Others are not.
 
It is reported that 20 positions will be eliminated at the museum 
including 9 that are vacant or about to be vacant.  It is also reported 
that most of the positions to be eliminated will be in the collections 
management area.  This is the area that affects most of us on CONCH-L 
and shell clubs.  In Bishop museum, there is one full time malacologist 
and one part time technician most of the time.  When grants are received 
temporary positions are funded.  Hopefully, this will not deteriorate 
further. 
 
The question is:  How can the collections management be preserved 
considering the economic importance of paying visitors who do not see 
the important collections of scientific value?
 
Aloha,
 
Wes