>Can you or anyone else on the list enlighten me about whether and when
>museums will soon be offering the digitized images of their collections
>(either the entire collection or a substantial part) at their web sites.
>
>I realize that the images are in one sense the property of the public, and
>in another they are proprietary and, having value, may be sold to Bill Gates
>or others; or else made into commercial products on CD's or laser discs as
>one now sells inventory catalogues.
>
>Is there a specific plan, or consensus among leading museums, for Internet
>distribution of these images, vs commercialization.
>
>Are there any facts and figures on how many museums are offering large
>portions of their collections in digitized form on the Internet? Are there
>any art museums which are already doing so?
>
>Mark


I think that this is an issue that every institution is grappling with, and
there are no easy answers.

Even after the question of 'ownership' and 'copyright' are resolved, one
runs into a very basic problem;  who is going to pay to scan all those
images?

Jim

Jim Angus
Director of Information Technology and Hypermedia Programs
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA  90007

voice:  213/744-3317
fax:    213/746-2999
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