Museum-L'ers,

I believe the important role museums play in "education" has changed
drastically over the last odd
years.  Even though a "museum" may not have a collection, rest on the
evidence that they do teach
and often use some form of "collection" (a zoo has animals, an art gallery
paintings, a living history park
 has artifacts and/or reproduction items and so on and so on) and the rest
have some form of historical
plan or subject manner that ties them into calling themselves a "museum."

Even the grand-master museums are in some form of now going beyond and above
education with an increasing role in entertainment or edutainment.   It is a
way
to attract visitors, new audiences and a wider public.

As long as "museums" or such organizations listed are teaching, entertaining,
but
using some form of artifact, reproduction or historical line....let's just
call them
"museums" and let it rest as such.  We are all doing the same job of
educating the
public.

Oh, no..this opens up a new ball of wax....schools have
artifacts...universities
have artifacts...they educate, they use history...they entertain students
(yes ~~ some
students just go to be entertained!)  <<<SMILES!!!>>>>   Then what about
libraries...
they are part of the museum world?

You see one can go on and on.  Museums are simply "learning centers," and if
an
organization/nonprofit ties into educating, entertaining, etc., let's just
call them again.....
MUSEUMS  <it is just a title, since there are many types doing a good
job of educating people...even the playlands at McDonalds and Disneyland>

John Martinson,  Curator of Collections

From the ever-growing, expanding, and changing ~~~ This Is the Place Heritage
Park.
Yes...we are considered a "living history" museum.  We have "real" artifacts,
real historical
buildings, a photograph collection, an Indian burial vault for NAGPRA items,
a library,
real animals (are we a zoo then??), we have horse and wagon rides, we have
paintings, pottery,
and we even have an eating establishment, a gift shop, and we show a
movie!!!!    Yup,
we are still a museum.

Yes, you can be one of the first to visit my wonderful, NEW, fabulous (and
under-construction)
web site at: http://ourworld.cs.com/john29mart/

Yes, I am still working on it, and making corrections slowly, but it will
give you an idea of what we
are about at the Park.  We are adding about nine new reproduction and period
buildings
this year, and two new outdoor amphitheaters.

Watch out Williamsburg and you other big guys...we are growing!!!

Oh yes, the site is my own, not the Parks where I humbly work performing
"museum" duties.
And you will be visitor "#1"   (GEESH!!  I cannot figure out how to drag and
drop a counter...I
don't use HTML in the program I designed the site.  Help!!!)

But ~~~~~ Enjoy!

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