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n-1-3-003.01a
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N-1-3-003.01, "Network the World's Museums" by Anthony-Michael
Rutkowski, <amr@NRI.Reston.VA.US>
The Internet has the remarkable ability to support collaboration and
knowledge sharing bounded only by the imagination of human minds.
And, as the pages of Internet Society News make clear, this support
now includes an incredibly rich variety of activities around the
world.
However, vast storehouses of human knowledge and imagination lie
comparatively untapped. These are the thousands of museums around the
world.
For reasons that are not apparent, while many initiatives now exist to
internetwork libraries and other public institutions, the treasure
trove of the world's museums seems to be virtually ignored. This is
ironic because of the unique function of museums in our society to
collect, communicate, and excite the imagination about almost every
significant human activity.
In a presentation to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.
this month, I am calling for a new global initiative dubbed, "RIM" for
Reseau internationale des muses or the International Network of
Museums. There are few institutions more ready made for networking
than museums - for their internal administration and for the visiting
public.
One of my great excitements as a child that has never ceased, is the
discovery of new museums to explore - and then to come back again,
because there is never enough time to see everything. Imagine how we
could construct a Gopher or WAIS server to allow our children and
ourselves to pick a subject or a place and virtually explore museums
through the Internet. We could set up "museum booths" in schools and
even in local museums that would allow people to visit and explore
other museums around the world.
The time is right. There already exists an small organization
attempting to start networking - the Museum Computer Network - which
is also developing an EDI protocol. A UNESCO sponsored International
Council of Museums Committee is considering the matter. The Boston
Computer Museum is focusing on networking.
Several natural history museums are collaborating via the new
Biodiversity Network discussion group. And museums can and should be
embraced within the national initiative like the U.S. NREN.