Cate:
I'm a bit surprised at the small number of responses you've recieved on this.

Since I'm involved with a couple of smaller museums who have websites, and along with exhibit work I build computers for them as well, I've had a number of conversations on this subject.

My opinion is that between the proliferation of museums in past years and the growing importance of audience attraction, not the least of which is reaching out to home-bound and disabled, Online exhibits are very much in the future of museums everywhere.

The reality is that museums are competing with a growing number of entertainment venues and industries.  Not only for dollars, but visitors as well.

If a museum website is well designed it can, and should, present the museum as a destination AND attempt to use this new medium to educate its visitors about its collections, exhibits, programs, etc.  Chances are great that those who stay at the site long enough to wander through a virtual exhibit are not the people who can or would go to the museum anyway.  At least not on a regular basis.

I think that presenting exhibits online does more, for far less money, in terms of outreach, than a traveling display.  Those who would attend the real exhibit are by and large those who would do so even if they had seen the online exhibit.

It seems to me that those who express concern on this subject are forgetting the strength of human nature to see the real thing as opposed to a representation.

Tom Bennett
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On Tue, 8 Jan 2002 10:46:53 -0500, Cate Poole <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I posted this question during the holidays and wanted to re-post it to the group in case people did not look into the past weeks archives.
>
>We are conducting a survey about what museums think about online exhbits and we are getting many responses that express concern that online exhibits will prevent people from attending the live exhibit at a museum.
>
>If you have any anecdotal or personal experience with this issue, please contact me at my personal email address. I have received a few replies, but would like more. When I have enough responses I will post the results on our web site in the Knowledge Base.
>
>Thank you in advance for your responses.
>
>Cate Poole
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>
>web site:http://museums.alteredimage.com
>
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