I think David and Adrienne both make good points - it's
important for museums to be accessible to as many people as
possible, but they don't do anyone any good if they close from
lack of funding.  IMHO, if a museum needs to charge admission,
they should be clear about the reasons behind the need, and try
to keep the cost as low as possible.  If a museum
charges admission, they should have at least one day a week (or
month, or two months, whatever they can afford) where admission
is free.
        One area where I have to disagree with you, David, is
buying into the whole concept of "free" having a negative connotation.
If students are shunning public education, it's not because
it's free, but because they go to schools with leaky roofs and
guns in the hallways.  Some politicians in this country would
have citizens believe that because something is "free", it must
be eating up tax dollars and providing nothing in return.  In
reality, the services that are "free" in this country -
public education, libraries, museums, etc. - are the backbone
of our culture and our spirit.  A lot of people buy into the
"free is cheap" rhetoric when it comes to cultural activities,
and in my opinion, museum professionals should fight that
stereotype whenever they can.


Jennifer Reed
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The Library of Virginia