Add the Library and Archives to the list of museum departments with a keen
appreciation for the value of providing public access to the collections.
It actually makes our job easier since people will come to us for the
information anyway.  We'd prefer to have it out there and available.
Besides, we constantly use the 'Net to gather information so making
information about our collections available is a way to repay our debt
to others.
 
Those of you who are interested in public access networks may want to
take a look at the fledgling Milwaukee Omnifest.  Telnet omnifest.
uwm.edu and login as visitor.  Select Science and Technology Center
and then Milwaukee Public Museum.
 
We've set up an interactive question and answer area on our board and
a group of staff members from the curatorial areas and the library and
archives will be taking turns as sysops for this area.
 
I think an individual's (or institution's) attitude towards the Internet
in general and public access computing specifically has less to do with
technological expertise (see Rob Guralnick's message) than it does with
their basic attitude toward information.  Some people tend to see
information as a resource that grows in value as it it is shared and used,
while other people see information as personally empowering and more
valuable when it is not shared.
 
 
*  Judy Turner                *  [log in to unmask]  *
*  Milwaukee Public Museum    *  414/278-2730          *
*  800 W. Wells Street        *  fax 414/278-6100      *
*  Milwaukee, WI  53233       *                        *