Anyone who deals with the public should be able to say "I don't know" with great comfort and facility. I even have new staff practice saying it during training. However, it's also important to have an easily accessible and easy to use set of references available to staff to research questions. The advanced form of "I don't know" is "I don't know, but I can try and find the answer with you." A sturdy bookshelf and a carefully chosen selection of books and collected notes can be the most productive investment made. A good working definition of what someone knows is every bit of information they know where to find and can look up quickly. Another point to keep in mind is that museums are often research institutions and a tough question can often lead to a good discussion of how to go about finding the answer. This also helps keep the museum from being seen as a dusty attic of relics and instead as an active and changing place. -- Paul Koenig [log in to unmask] http://www.variablearts.com/ ========================================================= 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).