First of all, a question for Mr. Chadwick: how old is MUSEUM-L?
 
        It has clearly grown very rapidly and, like any growing process, has
had its painful moments. I don't think they should be considered as
indicative of much beyond that...glitches such as duplicate messages are
exactly the kinds of things to which I am refering.
        The plethora of misdirected SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE, where
unintentional, reflect the relative technological innocence that exists
in so many insitutions where someone with a desktop computer suddenly
discovers the Internet, and the listservs, and sallies forth. Like
fledglings, they should be encouraged...not flamed by some who are not
all THAT much more proficient. Comments and questions by some who appear
to feel themselves to be 'Net-mavens give clear evidence that they
themselves do not know of what they are speaking. In particular, the
recent discussions about the use of the World Wide Web is an especially
excellent example. The guilty know who they are...may their mailboxes be
truly clogged by junk e-mail. (SPAMFEST!!!)
 
Which brings up a second area of comment: this isn't THAT active a list.
 
        I monitor 8 lists, several of which are as busy if not busier than this
one. I'm not bragging -- atleast three are for professional reasons ( I
edit a column about one of those three lists for a professional
organization and the other two lists are content-related  to the first),
so I do have a reason for doing this. I've had to learn a lot of UNIX
arcana along the way and it hasn't killed me yet. If this list seems to
busy, then reconsider the reasons for being subscribed to it. It isn't de
riguer to be monitoring it. The world won't end if you don't. You might
actually have time to get some work done. (On the other hand, I wind up
doing most of my reading at home...so, I've had to make my compromises,
too!)
 
...and segue to point three: this has certainly been one of the most
FRACTIOUS lists I have ever read!
 
        ...and as I have already said, my experience is not limited to 1 or
2 lists. About a year or so ago, there was a long running discussion on
the ARCHIVES-L (ARCHIVES and ARCHIVISTS) about whether or not Listserv
membership was representative of the membership of the SAA, the Society
of American Archivists, considered to be THE national professional
organization, comparable in scope to the museum world's AAM. I will spare
the details, but the truth finally emerged that the list was NOT the SAA.
HOWEVER, and this is important, a significant number of SAA officers were
on the listserv and they did not hesitate to speak up on issues.
        There are several regional professinal archives organizations and
they have the effect of making the SAA a surprisingly vigorous
organization. What I am not seeing is that same kind of involvement and
vigor on this list. What I see is too much of the insular behavior that
museums have been accused of for far too long. I would have thought that
there would be more of an effort to open up the institutions, atleast to
their peers. But then, I also know that there are far too many
institutions who see themselves without peer. Such attitudes (and egos!)
should be checked at the keyboard -- on the Internet, no one knows you
are a dog, to quote a New Yorker cartoon.
 
Well, I'm only on my second cup of coffee and it's going to be a full
day, so I'll end this diatribe. I would just ask members to be a little
more patient and understanding AND GENTLE in their use of the list. This
is a precious communication resource and we should use it responsibly,
intelligently, and constructively. End of sermon...flame me personally,
not on the list. (UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD OF INTEREST TO THE
WHOLE LIST!!).
 
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Dennis Moser                           (313)271-1620 x 657
Project Photo Archivist         Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
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"Blessed are the Flexible...for they shall not be bent out of shape..."
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