Harry, I think your baseball/TV analogy is very good, and I don't know why I
never thought of it.  Since televised sports really can in some ways provide
a better view of the subject--depending upon the quality of the camera
work--the fact that the surrogate experience hasn't prevented people from
wanting the "real" experience when they can get it really does demonstrate
something about human nature that is pertinent to the real museum vs. virtual
museum issue.  The surrogate experience may lull the lazy into avoiding the
"real," but it doesn't necessarily replace the desire by the committed to get
themselves to the ball park or the museum--sometimes it actually increases
it.

I think what a museum puts on its web site and what it displays in its
physical facility can and should complement each other.  And with the
widespread availability of web access, museums don't need to knock themselves
out trying to fit every possible piece of information, comparison, and
interpretation into exhibitions in ways that sometimes compete with the
visitor's experience of the objects themselves.  Conventional catalogs and
publications, combined with the text and images found on a web site, can
reinforce and supplement, rather than substitute for or replace actual museum
experiences--depending upon how well museums can juggle and fine-tune the
added opportunities and responsibilities.  Despite many new challenges and
complications, this is a pretty exciting time for museums.

David Haberstich

David Haberstich

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