Quoting Michael T. Sheehan Re: Museum Documentation Centres

> I am a bit uncertain about the function of ICOM-L as a
> discussion group.  I rarely see messages.
>
> My activities are limited to historic house museums and would
> appreciate a way to share or seek information about our special
> issues and probelms.

The low frequency with which this list is used is also of concern
to me. However, the list was never intended to serve as a forum
for the discussion of general museum issues. MUSEUM-L, which
pre-dates ICOM-L, has always served admirably for that purpose.
ICOM-L was initiated as a channel for official announcements
about ICOM activity and subsequently expanded to provide a
platform for their discussion.

According to the list's charter:

"ICOM-L provides a forum for the open discussion of ICOM's
activities. List members receive announcements about the
availability of ICOM documents on archive sites on the Internet,
as well as general news and information about ICOM's scheduled
events. The contribution of other material relevant to ICOM and
its activities is also encouraged."

I will rewrite this to eliminate further risk for confusion but,
"material relevant to ICOM and its activities", was meant in a
clearly focused sense. Nobody would be happier than myself if
this resulted in lively traffic on ICOM-L. List members should,
nonetheless, feel no pressure to generate off-target activity as
an end in itself. The community is best served by general
museological discussion being held on a single list; MUSEUM-L,
not ICOM-L, is the current best choice.

Cary Karp <[log in to unmask]>
ICOM-L Listowner