Robert Tabak asked for ammunition to justify the continued existence of museum programs at the Balch Institute. Something that one of the respondents said recently has led me to think that without its "museum" programs, an institution that holds collections becomes just another club for scholars. The Virginia Historical Society, before its big expansion program, was just such a place. I believe that the Massachusetts Historical Society still is. If you don't open up, and invite the general public in, through exhibitions, educational programs, and public programming, then these folks won't feel welcome, and they certainly won't support you if you get into financial trouble. The costs of NOT doing the museum programs just might be the survival of the institution itself. Claudia Nicholson Curator Museum Collections Department Minnesota Historical Society 345 Kellogg Blvd. W. St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 e-mail: [log in to unmask] Phone: 651-297-7442 FAX: 651-297-2967 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).