Regarding the discussion of whether museums have to collect we should
remember that a "collection" in a geographical location may be distributed
among a number of institutions. In New York the collections of the
Metropolitan Museum, the Natural History Museum and the New-York Historical
Society are within walking distance of each other and their collections
intersect at many points yet they are distinct institutions with their own
missions and agendas. There is, I think, a need for a "virtual museum" that
is capable of combining the collections of the different institutions in an
accessible form while maintaining the autonomy of the different
institutions. This virtual museum would collect the collections of these
different institutions as well as others that may not have collections but
concentrate on other aspects of a given culture.

Peter Weibel, who is now director ZKM in Germany, gave a talk on virtual
museums  and some possibilities last year:

http://www.arch.at/museumvms/topics/frames_weibel.html

Rob

[log in to unmask]
Dept. of Art and Art Professions
School of Education, New York University
http://www.nyu.edu/education/art/visartsadmin/infosystems

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