I agree with Suzanne Quigley. To splinter museum-l into subtopics will be
destructive to the list.  Museum-l is successful, in part, because it has
reached a critical mass of involvement.  There are enought people from
different areas within museology that can comment on a running discussion
to keep it vital by contributing points of view derived from multiple
perspectives.  If this list were to be hewn into more highly specialized
entities certainly that critical mass, that nourishing stew of opinions and
experience will be dissipated.

The result will no doubt be more specialized, but, to judge from other
highly specialized lists, it might also be vacant and silent.  I'd rather
put up with the necessity of deleting over four fifths of the contents of
museum-l, than fool myself into subscribing to the list drawn and
quartered.  Just like the poor soul who suffers the fate of being pulled to
the four winds, the sum is worth more than the parts.

Robert A. Baron
Museum Computer Consultant
P.O. Box 93, Larchmont N.Y. 10538
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