To Museum-L participants
This is an enquiry I recently posted on MUSWEB discussion list. Perhaps
others would like to comment.

I have been thinking about the question of providing public access to
the Internet for some time and have made some enquiries of museum
professionals.

Some museums give access at their actual museum to the institutional web
site material to help ensure equity of access for all their users.
Providing access to the museum web site helps with equity of
access issues (ie for the benefit of those who do not have access to
Internet at home, or work, etc).

Some museums have decided not to provide general Internet access because
of possible 'mis-use' by visitors. Other museums use a 'vet' program
especially when the Internet access forms part of a specific exhibit to
make sure visitors stick to the topic being interpreted.

This interests me because I wonder if this isn't a case of the museum
acting in its traditional 'expert to novice' role. New theories (the new
museology, constructivism, etc) seek to give the user autonomy in
learning. How can this be achieved if there is strict control over user
access? On the other hand there are obvious problems associated with
complete freedom. Do we have to take the rough with the smooth perhaps?

The question of 'mis-use' raises a lot of interesting issues about what
sort of service museums should be offering and what are the limits of
'user-centred' programs.

Does anyone else have an opinion or data on the above comments? How far
should museums go in structuring how people receive the museum product?
If the museum is to be facilitating learning, shouldn't people be
allowed to explore? Perhaps the latter type of exploration should take
place in a separate research area but then it seems this would spoil any
possible group involvement/observation?

Look forward to your views.

Patricia
Museum worker

Giuliano Gaia wrote:
>
> Hi, we're going to set up a public internet access hall also in our Science Museum in Milan - we're not going to limit in any way the use, for three reasons:
>
> 1. We think the internet as a whole, and we prefer not to make our visitors feel censored or limited in any way.
> 2. The terminals are in a public space with Museum staff always present
> 3. Programs like Netnanny can cause problem with not-english websites.
>
> I was at MCN98 and there was a panel about this specific subject. No Museum
> limited the access in any way.. but the Los Angeles Public Library reported
> an incident: a guy was downloading sexually explicit images, a child passed
> behind him, saw what he was doing and told his mother, and the mother
> called the police who came in and got the guy.
>
> The Getty Museum uses megascreens where it sends the images of the single
> terminals, but this is a rather costy solution, I think - I know the Getty
> has no budget problems, but we have ;-)
>
> Ciao, Giuliano
>
> Giuliano Gaia
> Webmaster
> Milan Science Museum
> http://www.museoscienza.org/english


Giuliano Gaia wrote:
>
> Hi, we're going to set up a public internet access hall also in our Science
> Museum in Milan - we're not going to limit in any way the use, for three
> reasons:
>
> 1. We think the internet as a whole, and we prefer not to make our visitors
> feel censored or limited in any way.
> 2. The terminals are in a public space with Museum staff always present
> 3. Programs like Netnanny can cause problem with not-english websites.
>
> I was at MCN98 and there was a panel about this specific subject. No Museum
> limited the access in any way.. but the Los Angeles Public Library reported
> an incident: a guy was downloading sexually explicit images, a child passed
> behind him, saw what he was doing and told his mother, and the mother
> called the police who came in and got the guy.
>
> The Getty Museum uses megascreens where it sends the images of the single
> terminals, but this is a rather costy solution, I think - I know the Getty
> has no budget problems, but we have ;-)
>
> Ciao, Giuliano
>
> Giuliano Gaia
> Webmaster
> Milan Science Museum
> http://www.museoscienza.org/english