The issue of fees for use of museum library collections and services goes directly to the question of the most fundamental mission of a museum. There are actually several related issues which need to be addressed. 1) What is the museums role in public education and how do fees affect (complement or contradict) that role? 2) Is direct fee-for-service the most appropriate way for public service institutions to support their operations? (i.e. the entire field of development (grants and donations) exists to provide practical alternatives to direct fees) 3) To what degree has museum culture recognized: a) that information management is an essential component of the public education mission of a public museum? b) libraries are among the most qualified and competent coordinators of information management (by virtue of long experience and training)? To take natural history museums as an example, we have a large and growing role to play in supporting the national initiatives to reform science education. An essential -- and largely unrecognized -- aspect of science education reform will be training students (and teachers) to pursue effectively their scientific interests using both traditional libraries and innovative information technologies. How will fees for service affect this necessary development? Food for thought. Tom Moritz Academy Librarian California Academy of Sciences San Francisco