I am finding this discussion very interesting so I thought I'd add my
two bits ---
 
I think there is an insurmountable difference between visiting museums and
virtually visiting them. What is lost is the impact of "being there."
Presumably, exhibits are designed with physical space in mind and
access to various media -- whether they be artifacts, artworks, videos, etc --
without regard to their space makes the virtual museum into a database.
 
In particular, I am thinking of the permanent exhibition at the US Holocaust
Memorial Museum in DC. In certain exhibit areas, especially the one on ghettos,
the visitor is physically distanced from the ghetto displays. This feeling of
separation from the exhibit, of being barred from getting too close is a way to
create an environment conducive to learning about how Jews were segregated from
society during the Holocaust.
 
Certainly, all of the materials used in the exhibit could be presented on-line,
but I doubt that any software could effectively communicate the feeling of
separation created by the exhibit space. How would this be attained? Should
the browser encounter difficulty trying to retrieve these images? Should she
only be limited to seeing them very small or out of focus? My point is that
the architecture of the space has a tremendous amount to do with the
educational impact of the museum and this is lost in the virtual museum.
 
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