Hello, listers. I know some have called for the topic to be dropped, but this recent "Washington Post" article made me think this may be an issue we need to continue grappling with (if not on the list, then in our own institutions): ---===------===------===------===------===------===--- A Curate-Your-Own Museum Web Site By Linda Hales, Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, March 11, 2006; Page C02 The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is about to take its Web site where no museum has gone before. Where that is isn't absolutely clear, but it merits getting excited about. The so-called "online national design museum" promises to open the museum and its vast collection to visitors anywhere in the world. What's more, if development can keep up with vision, the site will turn museumgoers into participants in a bold cultural experiment. Interactivity is the key. Cooper-Hewitt Director Paul Thompson describes "an open theater for ideas." And John Maeda, a digital guru at MIT and a trustee, talks of a "new paradigm" for museums. They're right. But here's the catch: The traditional museum autocracy will have to accommodate democracy. ---===------===------===------===------===------===--- Read the entire article online: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/10/AR2006031002342.html ---===------===------===------===------===------===--- Cheers / Angelique Weger ========================================================= 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).