Dear Dr. C:

As has been pointed out twice already, the first post did no such thing.

I am struggling to understand how requests for information are aggressive.

Eugene Dillenburg



On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:52:00 GMT, "Dr. Christian Müller-Straten"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Sir,
>
>I remember a short information in this list previously spread saying
>that only 50% of all mails were understood while readers claimed to
>understand about 90%. I do not intend to answer aggressive and
>vulnerating mails. The first mail in this thread was referring to two
>museums in the US leaving object descriptions up to visitors. I also
>stored it. I was also argueing against the proposal to have unauthorized
>tours in museums (using ipods or other pocket PCs). I keep on saying
>nothing else but object descriptions have to made by the museum itself
>and that it is up the decision of the museum director if he/she allow
>unauthorized group tours. In many countries and many museums of the
>world they are forbidden. This is my last remark on this matter.
>
>Christian
>
>
>
>"Eugene Dillenburg" <[log in to unmask]> schrieb:
>Dear Dr. C:
>
>This is, I believe, the third time you have referred to the "duties" of
>museums under ICOM.  I have been to the ICOM website, and am having
>trouble finding these "duties."  Yes, they define museums as places
>that
>interpret
>and educate.
>
>But I'm not seeing any language that describes HOW museums are
>to accomplish these tasks, nor any section that prohibits involvement
>of
>the general public.
>
>I did NOT say that. I was always pledging for the integration of all
>interest in order to formulate true descriptions. Why do you always try
>to misinterprete my mails?
>
>
>If you could direct me to the passages which you are
>referring to, I would be greatly appreciative.
>
>Also, this is I believe the third time you have stated that others on
>this
>thread have proposed doing away with the expertise of the museum
>specialist,
>and turning over all interpretation to the lay public.  I have
>carefully
>read these threads many times.  (Indeed, I have copied the posts onto
>my
>computer for future reference, as they are quite relevant to some
>projects I
>am working on.)  But I cannot find any instance of anyone proposing
>that
>museums do away with educated experts and specialists and replace their
>work
>with public comment.(The very first post in the "community curators"
>thread referenced a journal article which described museums
>collaborating
>with the public, not "yielding" to it.
>
>The first posting was referring to two museums
>
>And the Wikipedia tangent was not a
> proposal that museum follow that model, but rather an example showing
>that
>using an open source system to tap in to distributed knowledge need not
>result in "anarchy.")  Again, if you could point out which posts
>promoted
>public interpretations INSTEAD OF museum interpretation (as opposed to
>"in
>addition to"), I would be most grateful.
>
>Finally, inching back toward the subject at hand, I believe the topic
>of
>"unauthorized tours" began as a comment on the new phenomenon of "iPod
>tours."  I was a little bit shocked, though I guess not really
>surprised, to
>learn that some museums still try to control information.  But, as the
>news
>media, corporate PR departments, political parties, and other
>"gatekeepers"
>of knowledge have learned, the Internet has thrown open those gates.  I
>suppose one could resist -- banning iPods in the galleries, perhaps --
>but
>only at the risk of becoming draconian, alienating the audience, and
>having
>to do it all over again in 18 months when the next new technology
>becomes
>available.
>
>It just so happens that a new book on this very topic is being released
>today: "An Army of Davids" by Gelnn Reynolds.  It describes how the
>Internet
>empowers ordinary people to share information and bypass the
>traditional
>gatekeepers.  Whether one celebrates this phenomenon or bemoans it, it
>is
>here, and we'd best figure out ways to make it work for us rather than
>against us.
>
>Eugene Dillenburg
>
>

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