In a message dated 01-07-05 18:04:35 EDT, Erica S. Maniez wrote:

<< I'm curiosu as to why
 you would get flamed for this suggestion... most museums I've worked with
 site this as the ideal model, where visitors receive answers to their
 questions at a later date if they cannot receive immediate answers. >>

The flames occurred because some people felt that any delay in delivering a
response to a visitor question was unacceptable.  Chris Dill and a few
others, including myself, maintained that this is sometimes logistically
impractical.  I still feel that expecting a docent to dig up an answer to a
difficult question while in the midst of giving a tour or lecture is
tantamount to expecting him or her to be in two places at once.  Since the
thread began with concerns about docents who "make up" answers on the spot
which may sound good but be factually incorrect, I suspect that giving a
docent the burden of providing quick answers to all questions is precisely
what leads to such fictions.  I think it's better not to put such pressure on
docents--especially volunteers--and instead provide strategies to facilitate
later follow-up, directing questions to staff for authoritative answers.

(Just trying to summarize previous discussions--not reopen them...)

David Haberstich

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