Mr. Hunter, you are then not really looking for a definition of museums per say, but your audience or who you serve. IMHO, I feel you can define yourself by a) your visitors, b) your staff, membership and board, c) your collection d) your mission statement, and e) your region, place/location and interpretation. Since many of us have not been to your community, it is hard to determine your audience. However, your "community" would be a good starting point. Define your community and who visits your museum and why? Ask your public what they think your museum is/does through questions/surveys. I am sure students, group tours, and out-of-town visitors are also part of your audience/guest/ visitor/clients. You must also include your volunteers, membership, board and staff in seeking a solution to who you serve. What do they see your museum as? What is your major function? That would likely be the first approach in seeking a clear definition, then see how it compares when you start asking the general public and visitors what they think your museum is and what you do. Do they match up? Yes, of course, your museum and what type you are is based on your "collection" (what you collect, research, and exhibit). Art? Local history? And so forth, which would help distinguish if your visitors are heritage or cultural tourists. More importantly, how is your museum defined through your "mission statement?" Are you following that statement? Is your audience and who you served defined in that statement? The mission statement can be changed (not carved in stone). Definition and purpose of a museum is often based on the environment and region you are in. What is your community? Is it urban and metro? Or is it located in a small, rural community? That would help define who and what your museum is about, and who you serve. What funds are available and how accessible is your museum? For example, a museum mission or purpose is useless, if someone does not know about your museum, purpose or cannot get to you. If your purpose and collection is more regional and national, but your mission is not clear, you pull in only local visitors and the regional emphasis is lost. Last, who you serve will also depend on how you interpret your collection. Are you a living history museum or more hands-on and touch museum or a see but don't touch (artifacts in cases) type? ========================================================= 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).