>Is there now, or will thre be, any gateway between America Online and the >Internet? Or will we have to subscribe to an assortment of commercial >nets as we now might do for cable-movie channels? The Library of Congress makes their exhibits available through the Internet as well as America Online. There is no reason or excuse for a public institution to grant exclusivity to a commercial vender be it AOL or Bill Gates. They should make their profit by providing *easier* access, not the only access. >Personally, I think that the Smithsonian's educational mandate would be >ill-served by a strictly commercial access. Museums will survive when they realize they are part of the community, not a gift from one segment to another. They are the guardians of their collections, not the owners. >[Flame retardant: yes, I'm already paying for access to the Internet. I >do realize that services cost money. And I do support museums etc beyond >the price of admission.] [And I pay an enormous amount of money to NYU for my connection] Robbin (oh, lighten up) Murphy NYU/Museum Studies [log in to unmask]