It seems to me that the definition of "museum" needs to be left as general as possible while simultaneously noting the "essence" of a museum. A definition which must encompass a marble-floored art gallery as well as an interactive science "center" or a nineteenth-century ship building factory is a tricky one indeed...and yet there is something "museum-y" in all of the above. An accurate definition which does not overlap with libraries eludes me. Gosh, imagine the problem of defining a museum library! :). V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V0V Lawrence Hyman [log in to unmask] Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Acquisitions, Washington, DC