Greetings from Wellington, New Zealand. I have been interested to read the responses that Lyn Payne, Museum of Victoria in Australia, has been receiving to her enquiry about study centres. As the Senior Concept Developer for five Resource Centres being developed for the new Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, I am very keen to be part of this network and contribute to the exchange of information. The new museum we are planning here will open in 1998. It will comprise some 10,000 square metres of exhibition space featuring collections of: i) Maori Art and History ii) Pacific Island cultures iii) New Zealand Pakeha Art and History and iv) New Zealand Natural History For each of these exhibition zones, there will be an adjacent Resource Centre (x4). There will also be a small Learning Centre for children aged 6 years and under, located close to the main entrance and orientation lobby. At this stage of planning, we too are uncertain about the use and definition of the terms Resource/Study/Learning/Discovery Centre. But for the time being we're going with Resource Centre. However, the facilities we are developing include elements of all the above. The average size of these Resource Centres is 170 square meters. Around 45 square metres in each will take the form of a small study area. Such areas will be designed for secondary school students and adults with a general level of interest - those wanting to access more information related to exhibitions and relevant collections through our multi-media data-base and selected publications. (More specialist researchers will be referred to the reference library on the 5th level of the building, away from the main exhibit areas.) The remaining space - around 125 square metres - will be devoted to a range of hands-on learning activities targeting young visitors aged 12 years and under. These activities will relate to adjacent exhibitions and selected displays, in the Resource Centre, of items from the corresponding collection area. We've had a lot of debate about the feasibility of locating the study and hands-on learning functions for different age groups within the same facility, but are now confident that we can successfully incorporate both elements to provide welcoming and highly user-friendly spaces, appealing particularly to cross-generational groups. In terms of planning, the Art and History Resource Centre is the one most advanced at this stage. Developed by myself and a team of three Exhibition Interpreters, we believe that we've come up with some ideas that kids, as well as adults, will find engaging and fun. I would be more than happy to share some of the planning joys and sorrows we've experienced to date! Postal Address: Karen Mason Project Office Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa PO Box 11566 Wellington New Zealand Phone: Fax: (64) 4 - 382-6600 (64) 4 - 382-6606 Email Address: [log in to unmask]