Bill Mulligan's thought that museums without visitors would be like
universities without students reminds me of Max Beerbohm's classic
novel, Zuleika Dobson. All the students at Oxford fling themselves into
the Thames in despair for unrequited love of Zuleika, and the Oxford
dons are blissfully unaware that the students are missing, only that
dinner at the High Table is more peaceful than usual since the rest
of the Hall is empty.

Mary Day Kent, University of Pennsylvania Museum





>        While this is true in a sense, if nothing were collected there would be
>nothing to preserve and if there were no visitors there would be no real
>purpose or goal to reach by collecting preserving materials.  There would
>also be much less reason for society or individuals to support the effort
>to preserve said collections.
>        Private collections preserve their contents.  Many, if not most,
private
>collectors, at least historically have chosen to set up museums to share
>their collections with the public.  That is the primary reason, at least
>historicaly, for most museums - sharing a colection with the public.  I
>really don't think we can have museums without visitors,(or universities
>without students for that matter) nor would we want to.
>        Preservation is tremendously important, of course, but to say that
it is
>"the primary reason for museums" is both ahistorical and impractical.
>
>
>
>
>At 03:54 PM 2/20/98 EST, you wrote:
>>I would argue that the primary reason for museums and similar institutions to
>>exist is to *preserve* its holdings.  If something is not preserved, it
>cannot
>>be exhibited or studied.
>>
>>-Andrew
>>
>>
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----
>>
>>Andrew S. Richmond | Proj. Dir. | Editor | The Papers of Philander Chase |
>>Kenyon College | P.O. Box 141 | Gambier, OH 43022 | Phone: (740)427-5689 |
>>Email: [log in to unmask]
>>
>>Please visit!    http://www.kenyon.edu/khistory/chase/
>>
>>***************************************************************************
>*****
>>
>>"His grave will be precious to us.  It will be honored by all generations in
>>this College and neighborhood."
>>                                -Bp. Charles P. McIlvaine
>>                                 upon the death of Lorin Andrews
>>
>>***************************************************************************
>*****
>>
>
>
>William H. Mulligan, Jr. [[log in to unmask]]
>Associate Professor of History
>Director - Forrest C. Pogue Public History Institute
>Murray State University - Murray, KY 42071-0009
>Phone:(502) 762-6571 Fax:(502) 762-6587
>Home Phone:(502)753-9033
>Pogue Institute web site:
>http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/Bill.Mulligan/Index.htm
>
>