Adrienne:

At the Reno County Museum, we are about to dive in to the
electronic world as an institution (I'm plugged in to
Museum-L via a personal computer) and your post was
something of a surprise to me.  Of course, I am concerned
about the possibility of too much attention to the internet
and not enough focus on the general tasks that each staff
member has, but what exactly constiutes an "in-house
secret"?  It is my belief that there is no harm in admitting
that there are certain situations that museum's need
feedback and technical assistance from colleagues in the
field.  For instance, many curatorial storage dillemmas are
handled in a variety of fashions by different facilities and
though facilities are as capable of researching answers to
those questions through a variety of professional resources,
sometimes the economic limitations force a staff to seek
"creative" answers that our colleagues may have utilized in
the past.  It seems no crime to ask for help.

Of course, certain facts should not be broadcast to the
world, such as financial data or contractural arrangements
that prohibit such communications, but where does one draw
the line?

I hope this question spurs dialogue about this issue, I am
very interested in what fellow Museum-L participants have to
say on this matter.

Jay Smith
Director
Reno County Museum
Hutchinson, Kansas