Argues that a trip to a zoo or museum should provide children with opportunities to use knowledge they have acquired in their school science classes. Reports on museum research on the conversations of visitors. Concludes that visitors need to actively work with their observations and information to turn the visit from a series of everyday…

Discusses 3 D imaging as it relates to digital representations in virtual library collections. Highlights include X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT); the National Science Foundation (NSF) Digital Library Initiatives; output peripherals; image retrieval systems, including metadata; and applications of 3 D imaging for libraries and museums. (LRW)

Provides an historical perspective on the theory of constructivism and its application to science education in museum settings. Reviews the contributions of John Dewey and Jean Piaget to theories of learning associated with constructivist thought. (DDR)

Explores the perceptions, ideas, and understanding about science of the staff and adult visitors to an interactive science center. Involves (n=63) staff and (n=102) visitors through interviews and a survey. Suggests that visitors to the science center have a positive experience and most of them recognize a change in the way they think about…

Describes the programs at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts and shows how the Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology have been reinterpreted for the museum setting. (JOW)

Describes the educational benefits of a school museum. Topics include developing a focus, learning to convey the message, using authentic resources, and telling complex stories. Briefly describes how to start a school museum project, including relevant websites. (PKP)

Describes MARS (Museum Archive Retrieval System), a research tool which enables organizations to exchange digital images and documents by means of a common thesaurus structure, and merge the descriptive data and metadata of their collections. Highlights include theoretical basis; searching the MARS database; and examples in European museums.…

Discusses the need for accurate documentation of museum holdings and the feasibility of using online library catalogs as models for automated cataloging in museums. The description of museum computer projects covers problems that have impeded automation in the past and the current status of several projects. (34 references) (CLB)

Describes work in progress at the Smithsonian Institution in developing a system to understand and articulate the information needed to support collection related functions. The discussion covers the data modeling methodology used and the advantages of this methodology in structuring museum collections information. (one reference) (CLB)

Describes the design and exhibits of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Located in Washington, DC, the museum was mandated by Congress and dedicated to revealing the truth of this event in history. (MDH)

Describes the process by which Dr. Hassan Ragab recreated a village set in the days of the pharaoh Tutankhamen as a living museum of Egyptian culture. Native plants, animals, and living processes were used as faithfully as possible. (LZ)

Observed visitors (n=154) to a science museum discovery space as they interacted freely with the exhibits. Reports that attraction levels were highest for exhibits with concrete presentations, holding power was highest for exhibits with high interaction and concrete presentation, and engagement levels were highest for high interaction exhibits.…

Data on curatorial budgets and hiring practices of the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History since 1970 are discussed relative to those of academic departments in the College of Biological Sciences. Concludes that a natural history museum is best viewed and administered as a university resource and responsibility rather than as…

Discusses the Association of Systematics Collections' efforts to provide programs and resources to help institutions meet the challenge of maintaining natural history collections. (MDH)

This article suggests that one way to involve the viewer of a museum exhibition in the balance between accessibility and scholarship is to approach the exhibition not so much as a lecture but as a conversation. References research done on the differences between male and female styles of communication. (LZ)