The rather polar positions taken by some in the discussion of real museums
vs. web museums ignores the fact, I think, that the final arbiter is the
individual doing the visiting.  My own experience, and work by people such
as Sherry Turkle at MIT (she just published "Life on the Screen"), indicate
that temperament and learning style, for lack of better words, will probably
determine the options an individual visitor will take.  Some will always opt
for the plane fare rather than the hardware.

I am fully wired for sound from my home, for example, but seldom visit the
Web anymore in my spare time.  I find a good book, real people and real
places much more rewarding.  That is partly a function of the current
technological limitations, but not mostly.  Others make different choices
and that is how it should be and always will be (I hope).

With respect to Real - and Web - museums, to argue that one is better than
the other, or that one might or might not replace the other, gets in the way
of developing a truly symbiotic relationship.  The Web and its progeny will
doubtless be an important aspect of museum work in the next century, just as
conservation is now.  Regardless of our own personalities we should welcome
new options and methods that allow us to communicate effectively with a
larger audience.

What we really have to worry about is the same thing we have always worried
about - what is it, exactly, that we want to communicate and how can we do
it effectively?  That has more to do with mission than with technology, and
if technology forces us to revisit our mission, that is probably a good thing.

And real sex is still much, much better.....



Joe Nagel (KUSTOS Inc.)
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