I think museums sell themselves short if they use the
Web to provide "teasers".  A lot of people will never visit our
museum (The U.C. Berkeley Museum of Paleontology).  Some will
not visit because they are physically impaired or cannot travel to`
the Bay Area.  Our attempt is to show that a virtual museum
can have real depth and successfully integrate something of a
real museum into an Internet medium.  I know that museum professionals
worry about monetary issues... It is an important consideration, but I am
beginning to think it depends on the type of institution.  We are mostly a
research outfit and the Web is a great way to tie together our
research and exhibitions, and we hope to get funding from various
sources to expand our work.  We do not rely on admissions, we
dont even HAVE admissions.  So, we have nothing to lose and everything
to gain with a Web site.  It may be different in other institutions.
I guess we should be wary when talking about "museums" but maybe
instead we should begin figuring out how we can make the Web technology
and multimedia and winning situation for all different types of museums.
 
Cheers,
Robert Guralnick   | Museum of Paleontology   | University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720 | [log in to unmask] | (510) 642-9696