I was wondering if anyone on this list might be able to point me towards
any on-line databases of museum collections that allow their users to make
comments on the artifacts, comments that other users can view in
conjunction with the museum/insitution's own comments on the artifacts.

Basically, I am trying to think of a practical way to allow researchers to
post their comments on items they find online, perhaps adding information
to what they see there, correcting erroneous information, etc.  Most sites
I've seen simply allow you to email the curator or webmaster with
comments, which means that there could be a considerable timelag
between when the comment is sent and the site gets updated (if
necessary).  I also thought it might be useful for other users of the
database to see a series of comments about an object, even if those
comments are informal in nature rather than keeping those comments
private between the museum and the sender.  For certain highly specialised
collections and archives that tend to be visited only by those with some
familiarity with the objects and information, this might be useful for
the institution that holds the collection.

If anyone has any suggestions for where I could go to see this in action,
I'd be very grateful.  Please email me off-list, unless others are
interested in this issue.

Siobhan McElduff
RA, USC ARC Laboratory

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).