As Walter Benjamin described in his famous essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", the role of art in society and the notion that art has become modified through mechanical reproduction has engaged not only artists, but also curators and the museum public. Benjamin embraced the severing of the quasi-mystical…

This paper introduces the idea of enhancing the audio presentation of a multimedia museum guide by using the PDA screen to travel throughout a fresco and identify the various details in it. During the presentation, a sequence of pictures is synchronized with the audio commentary, and the transitions among the pictures are planned according to…

Describes the author's visit to the Italian cities where Galileo lived. Discusses the legendary swinging Cathedral lamp and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Describes the science apparatus used by Galileo and other men of science which appear in the Museum of the History of Science in Florence. Presents six pictures of items viewed within the museum.…

An account of the founding of a museum by a residential adult education college, and of subsequent interaction between the college and the museum, other educational institutions, and the public. A January 1970 exercise in Elizabethan art, drama, and cuisine is described. (LY)

Reports the first known survey to evaluate and rank children's museums. The survey was conducted by Child magazine but questions the methodology used to derive the rankings. Identifies the top 50 museums in the rankings. Notes that dinosaurs remain a popular topic and many new programs are designed for very young children. (DLH)

Adult and community education neglects museums and art galleries as venues, and museum staff neglect adults as learners in developing educational programming. Both groups should work more closely together. (SK)

Provides a firsthand account of visitor studies done in the early 1970s to evaluate museum exhibits effectiveness in response to erroneous information reported in the "Curator" (volume 36, number 4). (MDH)

Traces the history of 20th-century zoological collections in Cuba, and the present whereabouts of Cuba's zoological collections. The historical accounts are divided into two periods: from 1902 to 1959 and from 1959 to the present. A preliminary survey of the nature, size, and current state of these collections is included. (MDH)

Examines different types of virtual visits to museums and explores different paradigms for providing interactive experiences while visiting virtual museums. Describes one example of an experimental environment, WebTalk, which has been used in the MST (Museum of Science and Technology) in Milan, Italy. (LRW)

Using critical theory, the author presents a hermeneutic approach to artifact interpretation and museum program development. (SK)

Although zoos attract larger audiences, aquariums are experiencing faster growth. This article discusses aquariums, highlighting aquariums on the World Wide Web and presents a bibliography of Web sites for aquariums, zoo and museum sites with aquarium features, informational aquariums, organizations, species and information for amateur aquarists,…

Provides an overview of distance learning programs, including the British Open University; Sunrise Semester; Nova University; University of Maine (Orono); Public Facilities Telecommunications Program; A*DEC; National Technological University; Star Schools; Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications; museums; Jones International…

Presents an analysis of data from a research project involving 110 exhibitions across the U.S. in a variety of different museums. Discusses the amount of time visitors spent in exhibitions and the number of stops made at different elements. Reports on a study to see if professional interpreters could accurately imagine how visitors might use an…