There's a nice article in today's (1/27) New York Times on a projected major
expansion of the American Museum of Natural History.  The plan is to spend
$60-90 million and add a new planetarium, 2 new entrances, a new garage w/ a
rooftop terrace and a new floor with a restaurant.  It's nice to see that some
museums are still able to think big.  It's worth noting in light of the
public/private thread of earlier this month, that the article discusses the city
owning the building & land and the museum owning the collections.
 
Of course, I LOVED the old place and its dated exhibits and read with a pang
that they've almost complete reinstalling the dinosaurs.  The article mentions
the "dreary dioramas" which is kind of amusing in that they were cutting edge
when they were built.  You can find articles on them in old Curators and Int. J.
of Medical Museums.
 
Of some interest may be an article in the Atlantic Monthly (Nov 1994).  In "The
Age of Social Transformation," Peter Drucker discusses "A survey of the epoch
that began early in this century, and an analysis of its latest manifestations:
an economic order in which knowledge, not labor or raw material or capital, is
the key resource..."  We may all be the wave of the future.
 
Mike
 
Michael Rhode, Chief Archivist                  202-782-2212
National Museum of Health & Medicine            FAX 202-782-3573
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology             [log in to unmask]
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Washington, DC 20306-6000