Thursday, February 28, 2008
Editorial: The little train museum that hasn't
The Virginia Museum of Transportation is heading the way of abandoned lines. The nonprofit board needs to steer a different course.
From the RoundTable blog
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A graveyard for forgotten railcars -- that could be the fate of The Virginia Museum of Transportation, if its board fails to capture the imagination, enthusiasm and cash from more than parents of tiny tots and old railroaders.
A $50,000 report by Museum Management Consultants Inc. of San Francisco confirmed what laymen suspected: Without strong management, a plan to guide it, the support of the community and an infusion of funds, the museum is a train wreck waiting to happen.
Is it worth the effort? Certainly. Roanoke has a rich railroad story to tell; without the railroads, Big Lick would not have grown into the city we are today.
The problem is that the transportation museum has yet to figure out how to tell the story. Its exhibits are passive and stale; visitors are left simply to guess at the significance of pictures, documents and other artifacts. Further, the consultants found the museum's management has lost track of its inventory. If the museum remains unaware of its collection, how can the public possibly appreciate it?
The transportation museum has long struggled just to stay open and has lacked funds to restore the engines and cars that it warehouses. While ardent railroad enthusiasts could look past that, some were not so forgiving last year when the museum sold off a valuable locomotive, Nickle Plate 763, just to pay its bills.
On top of that, the board and management have cut key positions because they didn't have money for a larger payroll. They have eliminated education and outreach that connected the museum with city schools.
The consultants make 28 recommendations to turn around the museum's outlook, some of which center on outreach to the community and other organizations to generate support and enthusiasm.
Management needs to do a better job of understanding the types of exhibits and programs that draw today's visitors to museums. And it needs to better understand ways to raise funds and search for grants.
Waiting for the state or the city to kick in money doesn't cut it. The state is tapped out, and Roanoke -- despite museum director Bev Fitzpatrick's seat on city council -- should be wary of increasing its contribution without substantial changes.
Whether the museum's officials adopt any or all of the consultants' suggestions is up to them. But unless they do, they shouldn't expect anyone to pull out a checkbook.
