I'm not sure that being "forced down the 'Disney' path is a bad thing.  I
suspect learning research supports making learning fun.  Certainly
research on museum labels indicates that the 'old way' was ineffective.
What is the alternative to Disney- cabinet of curios?  I would approach
your question by looking at the mission statement of a specific museum
and determining the best way to fufill it.  Additionally I would poll
potential visitors and ask them what they want and expect.  If you allow
your perceptions to cloud the issue you will have a museum for you when
you may want a museum for the public.

On Sat, 9 Sep 1995, H.M.L. Burchmore wrote:

> I'm currently doing a MSc in Museum Studies (in England)and would
> like to find out what curators, visitors and researchers think the
> current role of natural history in museums is. Are museums being
> forced down the "Disney" path, trapped into displays of purely local
> significance, or is there now a wider, more global role for museums
> to play? What do you think?? Please let me know. Thanks !!
>