>Is there now, or will thre be, any gateway between America Online and the
>Internet?  Or will we have to subscribe to an assortment of commercial
>nets as we now might do for cable-movie channels?
 
The Library of Congress makes their exhibits available through the
Internet as well as America Online. There is no reason or excuse for
a public institution to grant exclusivity to a commercial vender be
it AOL or Bill Gates. They should make their profit by providing
*easier* access, not the only access.
 
>Personally, I think that the Smithsonian's educational mandate would be
>ill-served by a strictly commercial access.
 
Museums will survive when they realize they are part of the community,
not a gift from one segment to another. They are the guardians of their
collections, not the owners.
 
>[Flame retardant: yes, I'm already paying for access to the Internet.  I
>do realize that services cost money.  And I do support museums etc beyond
>the price of admission.]
 
[And I pay an enormous amount of money to NYU for my connection]
 
Robbin (oh, lighten up) Murphy
NYU/Museum Studies
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