A.Passmoore wrote:
>
> On Sun, 9 Aug 1998, Rebecca Conner wrote:
> > Someone made a joke at AAM last year that I found amusing then,
> > but becomes more disturbing all the time.  The jist is that the
> > *ideal* museum employee has 15+ years of experience with
> > research, conservation, exhibit design, visitor relations,
> > education, NAGPRA compliance, grant-writing and management, 2
> > PhD's and a MBA and is willing to work 80 hour weeks (including
> > weekends of course) for $10,000 and no benefits.
>
> This is a point of interest.  Clearly what must be done is a complete
> business process re-engineering for the museum field as a whole.  Perhaps
> non-profit isn't the ideal mode of operation?  Perhaps whole new levels of
> technology must be adopted?  The question is, what exactly can be done? It
> seems self-sufficiency and earned income are the lynch-pins in this
> quandry.  I often think perhaps museums should attempt to capitalize on
> the virtual as well as the phsyical.  Are there any museums with
> significant earned-income derived from on-line transactions?  Indeed, are
> there any museums that have made a real effort on the web?
>
>                                         Alexander Passmoore
>                                         http:/passmoore.com


The Science Museum in London has a Website and we are in the process of
offering our publications through our site. I certainly get a lot of
enquiries about the Museum in general and particular books through the
site.

        http://nmsi.ac.uk

My bookmark folder is full of museum Websites, generally from the most
well-known museums in the US and Europe. Smaller museums might have a
problem in sparing either personnel or money to run a site.