The Museum Computer Network submitted a questionnaire to the list
recently.  We would be happy to share the questionnaire and the results
with you.
 
Kathy Jones-Garmil
 
On Tue, 6 Sep 1994, Monique Volansky wrote:
 
> Hello everyone!  I am a graduate student at San Francisco State Univ.
> currently working on my Master's Thesis in Museum Studies.  The topic I
> have chosen is Computerized Museum Collections Management and the
> Internet.  My idea is to distribute a short questionnaire to a number of
> museums to get an idea of how widespread computerized collections
> management is and how museums feel about putting their collections on-line.
>
> I would appreciate any feedback that museum-l people could give me about
> my idea or the execution of the questionnaire.  Also, since people on
> museum-l are most likely to be affiliated with museums already hooked up
> to the Internet, please feel free to send completed questionnaires to my
> e-mail address.  Please send responses, flames, or even best wishes to:
> [log in to unmask]  Any help will be greatly appreciated.
>
> Here is a preliminary copy of the questionnaire.  The final version might
> be different based on responses that I get from you and also on research
> that I'm currently doing.
>
> Name:
> Title:
> Museum:
> Number of staff (employees and volunteers) working in your museum:
> Approximate number of items in permanent collection:
>
> 1) Does your museum currently use computer equipment for collections
> management?  If yes, what types of hardware and software do you use?  If
> no, do you plan to upgrade to computers in the future?
>
> 2) Do you think that computer networking by museums for exchange of
> information is a good idea?  Why or why not?
>
> 3) Are you worried about problems that might arise from the publication
> of your collection information over a network (e.g., security issues or
> increased competition in your particular field of collectin)?  What
> issues most concern your museum?
>
> 4) Do you insist on certain precautions being in place before you r
> collections are published to network access?  (For example, access given
> only to qualified people, limited fields of the database available for
> access, or time restrictions on the viewing of information.)
>
> 5) If not already in place, would you consider setting up Internet access
> to your collections, or would you rather install a smaller private
> bulletin board system?
>
> 6) Would you take advantage of the databases of other museums if they
> were made available to you?  What interests you most about being able to
> access the collections information of other museums?
>