Interesting idea that seems to spreading. One problem for 
offering the tours to folks who come to the museum is for Mac iPods; 
Apple limits the number of computers any one iPod can connect with in 
order to download files. I think it is four but it maybe fewer. I am 
not certain. There is a hack to overcome this but I am not certain 
the Kansas Museum of Natural History wants to be associated with 
hacking since Apple is limiting the spread or sharing of music that 
they sell via iTunes in this manner. Another way of delivering audio 
tours with visitor-familiar-instruments is use of  cell phones. You 
could find institutions experimenting with this via Google. I saw an 
article recently, I think, in the LA Times.

Martin



>The Kansas Museum of History is creating digital audio tours for use on
>MP3 players.  These players are owned by our visitors, not available for
>checkout at our front desk.  Although the audio files can be downloaded
>through iTunes and other podcast directories, we'd also like to offer a
>download station at our facility for visitors who need to get the files
>on-site.  Have any other museums created download stations at their
>facilities?  If so, we'd like to hear from you.  Our questions include:
>- Where is the download station located (e.g., lobby, gallery)?
>- Is the download station connected to your server and/or the
>Internet?
>- How do you accommodate the different needs of PC and Mac users? 
>- Do you provide cables for any MP3 players?  If so, which ones?
>- What have you learned from this experience (security issues,
>compatibility issues, visitor confusion, etc.)?
>
>If you'd prefer not to reply to the list, you can email me directly at
>[log in to unmask]
>
>Rebecca Martin
>Assistant Director
>Kansas Museum of History
>6425 S.W. Sixth Ave.
>Topeka, KS 66615-1099
>785-272-8681
>http://www.kshs.org
>


-- 
Martin Weiss, Ph.D
Vice President, Science
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 th Street
Corona, New York 11368
718 699 0005 x 356

=========================================================
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).