RE splintering vs topics: Topics would not work for my email because my to/from information never states that the mail is from museum-l. In order to save the time that is required to read then delete each individual message, I digest museum-l so that I can delete the entire day's messages if I don't have time to sort or read. I do not work in a museum so I am interested in museums from a different point of view than museum professionals. Because my museum-l mail is digested, I can not delete one message without deleting the string. If the list were splintered, perhaps those who are interested in various topics could sign up on those lists and receive as many messages as always.