>Robbin Murphy wrote (in part):
 
>No challenge intended, I was seeking clarification since I have
>a feeling we basically agree...... The fact remains:
>how do we pay for museums in this day and age? ...... I don't think
>they will come out of the education departments, either.
 
Thanks to Robbin. I again apologize for being too harsh or wordy. The
museum is fundamentally a collection of materials that need to be
preserved. The interpretation (education function) can be done with
curators working in close association with universities, secondary and even
primary educators. By shifting some of the expenses of interpretation back
into the education community the museum could be made more economical as
well as more interactive. The education community has resources that
museums don't (alumni endowments, bonds, taxes, etc.). Emphasizing the
museum gallery as the showplace for new audio/visual techniques takes
resources away from the primary mission which is usually to collect and
preserve.
Paul Apodaca