Re: the recent postings about touching objects...

>We say do not touch, but perhaps we should explain the importance of that
>to our visitors.  Give them a clue to the importance of not touching
>objects rather than saying 'not to touch that because I said so'.

At our historical museum, as you come in the door, there's a small
wall case that no one can miss.  It holds an old teddy bear which has
lost most of its fur and an eye and is pretty much the worse for wear.
It bears the sign "Its fur has been loved off" and briefly talks
about why we don't allow visitors to touch objects, and why we DO
allow them to touch in "The Attic," our hands-on area with
replicas and items from the teaching collections.  We get a lot of
comments about this, and it appears to be an effective and kind way to
explain the "no touching" rule to children as well as to adults.


----------
Allyn Lord, Asst. Director
Rogers Historical Museum
322 South Second St.
Rogers, AR  72756
501/621-1154
Fax: 501/631-2767

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