Hi,

Our project team is working on the problems/issues of creating a
digital presence/environment for a "small not-for-profit museum"
as part of a library and information science seminar.  Each of
us brings strengths to this project, however, none of us has any
professional background in your field.  Some of us have served
as volunteers for exhibits (Tutunkhamun, Peruvian Gold, China-
saurs, etc), archive indexers (slides, photographs, objects), or
enthusiastic supporters of local museums (our campus boasts a fine
arts museum, an archaeology/anthropology/paleontology collection,
and the largest botanical medicine garden in the country).

The professional literature has yielded several excellent articles
addressing the challenges and triumphs of creating online projects
for the Vatican, Library of Congress, etc. collections, and we are
doing the traditional lit searching and review to prepare our report.

We would like to hear your thoughts/concerns/wishlists -- without
regard to cost or the current state of technology (and its
attendant bugs, glitches, gremlins, etc).  If a Fairy Donor
dropped in and said, "Whatever it costs to get your collection
onto the World Wide Web, I'll cover it," what would you want?
"Virtual" rooms?  Holographic models of fragile sculptures?
Interactive "onion" models that let the viewer peel away surface
layers down to the canvas or the core?  Adaptive technologies
that permit visitors with physical challenges to enjoy the
collection?  Historical personages serving as museum guides?
Animated dioramas?  Zooms that permit microscopic views of the
molecules of a 14th century manuscript pigment?  Foreign language
translations for common and uncommonly encountered dialects?
Please -- share your professional fantasies!

We will present our project at the end of May.  It will be
a WWW-document.  Anyone who contributes their comments will be
notified of the web address of the final document, or be emailed
a copy of the paper.  Please indicate if you prefer your comments
to be used anonymously, otherwise all quotes will be attributed.

We appreciate your time and consideration.  Thanks!


        Zoe Holbrooks, Larry Poon, David Sandberg, Raney Newman
                        University of Washington
            Graduate School of Library & Information Science