The ability to search a museum's collection for specific objects and for detailed information about those objects has been a valuable research and exhibition tool for me. When planning exhibits, it is important to be able to search the collections of your own museum as well as other museums to get a baseline of what is in use and what might be available for future use (loans, etc.). Also, researchers often search collections for specific information about objects - provenance, proveniance, materials of construction, taxonomic information, detailed description, etc. Sometimes, if the search engine/database can provide enough detailed information, the researcher need not perform a physical inspection or may be able to limit his/her viewing to only specific objects. This saves on long-term conservation and the staff time. 

Hope those thoughts are helpful...

Cheers,
Siobhan

Siobhan Starrs
Forces of Change Program
National Museum of Natural History
p: 202/357-4680/ f: 202/786-2567


>>> [log in to unmask] 10/10/00 09:22PM >>>
Here's a really basic question for the list. Why do you think people are
interested in searching museum collections (especially art collections)
online?

When I think about why I use museum's online collections search tools, I
can't really pin down a reason. I am rarely looking for anything specific, I
don't search a collection before I visit a museum to see what they have, and
I don't use them as a research tool (except to see what other museums are
doing!) But my experience is probably not typical. Any ideas?

Margaret

Margaret Pezalla-Granlund
Evenings for Educators
Education Department
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(323) 857-6235

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