I agree with Doug.  He has voiced thoughts of my own- Thanks Doug
 
>Why are we so focused on providing IMAGES?
>Instead of images, provide information.  Why not make our collection
>databases, or subsets of them, available worldwide?  Whereas images are
>nice for a few minutes, and they may even tantalize the viewer to visit
>the museum, information is immediately useful in ways that images cannot
>be, e.g. real research, instead of "surfing."
 
In the process of researching and ultimately directing the process of designing
an object database, I have thought many times how interesting it would be if
someday individuals could access on-line, the enourmous ammounts of research
museum curators, etc. have written about objects in their museum's collections,
instead of letting that research sit "inactive," away in some file somewhere.
I think of how useful it would be for students researching certain periods or
styles, etc. of art, architecture, or for people looking for information about
an obscure artist, of which a particular museum on the net has a collection of.
How convenient, and interesting it would be to be able to find such information
on the internet.
 
>I know there are enormous difficulties involved in putting a database
>online in this manner, but isn't this a more fruitful goal to pursue?
>What do you think?
 
YES! Go for it!
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                                Allison Smith
                        University of Wisconsin Madison
                   School of Library and Information Studies
                            [log in to unmask]
 
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