Hi there: I'm interested in getting feedback from information professionals in the museum sector about how they feel they are faring with the new technology. I hope to present a paper at a conference next month about how museums are, or aren't, handling their information. The abstract I have proposed and details are below, but I'd like to ask some basic questions. I won't be publishing those answers, just using them as a resource to get a feel for how people are thinking and what they are experiencing. I'd really appreciate your thoughts fairly swiftly and I'm more than happy to e-publish the paper once it's written for people to read if you're interested. Questions: 1. What sort of handle do you have on the new technology, i.e. collection systems and web interfaces. 2. Do you discuss the technology issues you face with other information professionals in your organisation? 3. What sort of formal/structural relationships do you have with other information professionals in your organisation? My answers fyi: 1. Continually struggling, continually learning, and need more technical training 2. Yes, more and more as we recognise the shared issues or benefit from each other's knowledge 3. I work within a division made up of IT, Library, Imaging, Records, and Website people, and have informal working relationships with curatorial, educational, archival, registration people Conference: Museums Documentation Association Provisional Title: Information management and the knowledge industries: museums, libraries and archives. Abstract: Museums are paying significant attention to their website images and offerings, libraries are channelling their energies into web based catalogues and the delivery of electronic information and archives are publishing their research guides and series databases on the web. How are the different knowledge industries managing their information? Where are they focussing their efforts and why? Are museums really managing their information technology? Are they racing to maintain their visitors' expectations and interest? Are museum practices coping with the information deluge and the shift to electronic information keeping practices? Are the slick and glossy museum websites and cutting edge interactives in museum exhibitions matched in their sophistication by the information management practices within the museums? Ingrid Mason Reference Librarian Powerhouse Museum Research Library P O Box K346, Haymarket, Sydney, NSW 1238 Harwood Building, 84 Mary Ann Street, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW AUSTRALIA Tel: 61-2-9217 0258 Fax: 61-2-9217 0433 Em: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.phm.gov.au ..knowledge, as opposed to information is more personal, less easy to pass around and requires understanding... Unless explicitly attributed, the opinions expressed in this email are those of the author only and do not represent the official view of the Powerhouse Museum or the New South Wales Government. ========================================================= 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).