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...Unless it's a Scam.
A bit of background on the tale of Professor Sneaky.
We are not a Public Library. We have closed stacks and nothing circulates outside the building. For security reasons, we limit the number of outside readers who may visit on any given day. Members of the public are welcome but they must make an appointment in advance.
A few years ago, at the start of September, we had 6 people call and request appointments for the same time on the same day. We spread out the arrival times but they all came at 2PM and left sharply at 3:30PM. They were a polite and cheerful bunch and, when they left made appointments for the same time and day next week.
We had the impression that they were students in a off-site course who wanted to do additional work together. That happens quite often and we thought little of it. The truth came out a few weeks into the term when one of the group phoned and asked us to inform Professor Sneaky that she would not be able to attend this week's class. Hmmm.
When the group arrived, Prof. Sneaky was invited to a conference with some of our Security personnel. It developed that he was charging his students about $300 each for a course and using our Library as a free classroom.
This may not sound all that bad but, in the Museum world, it is. Anything taught in the Museum must be approved by the Museum. When presentations and workshops are offered they're taught by Museum staff or outside authorities known to us. This way, we can make sure that the material offered is accurate and in accordance with contemporary scholarship. The name of the Museum is associated with these things and we need to protect our reputation.
This was not the case with Professor Sneaky. He was self-taught with no Academic credentials and some of what he was teaching was decidedly odd. Did you know that Hanibal crossed the Alps to bring Islam to Spain?
A bit of background on the tale of Professor Sneaky.
We are not a Public Library. We have closed stacks and nothing circulates outside the building. For security reasons, we limit the number of outside readers who may visit on any given day. Members of the public are welcome but they must make an appointment in advance.
A few years ago, at the start of September, we had 6 people call and request appointments for the same time on the same day. We spread out the arrival times but they all came at 2PM and left sharply at 3:30PM. They were a polite and cheerful bunch and, when they left made appointments for the same time and day next week.
We had the impression that they were students in a off-site course who wanted to do additional work together. That happens quite often and we thought little of it. The truth came out a few weeks into the term when one of the group phoned and asked us to inform Professor Sneaky that she would not be able to attend this week's class. Hmmm.
When the group arrived, Prof. Sneaky was invited to a conference with some of our Security personnel. It developed that he was charging his students about $300 each for a course and using our Library as a free classroom.
This may not sound all that bad but, in the Museum world, it is. Anything taught in the Museum must be approved by the Museum. When presentations and workshops are offered they're taught by Museum staff or outside authorities known to us. This way, we can make sure that the material offered is accurate and in accordance with contemporary scholarship. The name of the Museum is associated with these things and we need to protect our reputation.
This was not the case with Professor Sneaky. He was self-taught with no Academic credentials and some of what he was teaching was decidedly odd. Did you know that Hanibal crossed the Alps to bring Islam to Spain?
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