It seems apparent that everyone who has registered an opinion thus far supports the idea of having collection information on the web. Allow me, then, to suggest another consideration. Over the last couple of years, small museums throughout the plains states (from Texas north all the way to North Dakota) have suffered a rash of thefts. In most instances, these thefts have occured during open hours (at least in the northern plains), usually over lunch hour, when volunteers were in charge. Locked cases were opened and usually one or a couple of artifacts were stolen--not everything that was in a case. I have always believed that the thieves were stealing to a list prepared by someone. None of these museums have their collections on the web, they just have what they have on exhibit. However, I do wonder how much easier the list-maker's task would be if he/she had access to museum collections on the web? I am a curator, and actually in favor of having as much information as possible about the collection out for researchers to access, including photographs. (After all, why are we collecting the stuff if we are going to hide it?) However, after reading John Scafidi's post, I did have a second thought. Nothing, of course, can replace good security procedures . . . Claudia Nicholson Curator Museum Collections Department Minnesota Historical Society 345 Kellogg Blvd. W. St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 e-mail: [log in to unmask] Phone: 651-297-7442 FAX: 651-297-2967