Executive Director’s Message
Written by Larry Tise in the From the Executive Director category and the Fall 1984 issue Topics in this article:Friends and supporters of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission may be interested in the substantial changes made recently in the administration of our agency’s major programs and services. While it is understandable that most people “outside” of an organization care very little about internal structure and operations, several of the changes will, I trust, result in significant improvements in our services to both Pennsylvania’s residents and visitors. These changes will also render our multifaceted operations more economical and efficient than in previous years. It’s an exciting prospect!
For many years, the Commission’s network of properties – including battlefields, historic houses, museums, even an entire village – was managed by two distinct bureaus: one for historic sites, the other for museums. However, several historic sites had been assigned to the bureau of museums, and several museums were relegated to the care of the bureau of historic sites. It was all too confusing and duplicated functions and operations. At the same time, service functions – many of which are used by the public – were somewhat lost in the daily business of property management.
No organizational arrangement is a panacea in and of itself but, in an effort to provide more rational and cost efficient management of numerous historic sites and museums, the Commission’s two bureaus were merged to establish the new Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums. In conjunction with the creation of this new bureau, three regional offices responsible for operating, developing and staffing Commission properties in their jurisdiction were initiated. Properties in the eastern region will be administered from the Washington Crossing Historic Park, Bucks County; the central region from the Pennsylvania Farm Museum, Lancaster County; and the western region from the Drake Well Museum, Titusville, Venango County. Each of these sites not only provides an administrative center, but will also serve as the regional service center for the maintenance of equipment and sponsorship of workshops, conferences and commonly shared special services.
In a separate structure, the staff, programs and resources of several major critical functions serving all areas of the Commission have also been combined. The new Bureau of Historical and Museum Services is responsible for managing and caring for the agency’s extensive historical collections; for the development of the Commonwealth Conservation Center in Harrisburg; for operating the Commission’s local management and lease program of historic properties; and for providing architectural services to all programs. In addition, the new bureau will manage our extensive publications program, including Pennsylvania Heritage, and a proposed reproduction sales venture; develop marketing and promotional efforts, including the preparation and publication of brochures and related promotional literature; and provide a centralized exhibits design and production capability.
The Bureau of Historical and Museum Services is assigned a number of programs that are public service oriented. As we further refine our operations in each of these areas, we are truly hopeful that citizens of the Commonwealth will enjoy greater access to, and service from, each of these areas. We also hope that this restructuring of programs and functions will offer our staff more opportunities to carry out, with greater quality and efficiency, the extensive responsibilities entrusted to the Commission.
Larry E. Tise
Executive Director
