FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Angie]

Hi Jim,
Speaking from the uninitiated's point of view, an exhibition of any form should inspire visitors to want to learn more and participate. ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?t=504 )
The success of any organisation depends on renewed membership and the next generations involvement. So I would suggest some form of interactive display for the youngsters.
One of our most popular museums here in Melbourne is designed for all the family to enjoy. It's called Scienceworks.
https://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/WhatsOn/Current-Exhibitions/Earth-Quest-Outer-Space-to-Inner-Earth/
(link normalized by FMF)

[John S. White]

I must confess that I do not favor interactive displays. All too often they don't work very well, in a busy museum they can be accessed by only a relatively few people, they slow down traffic, and they start to look very tired after being abused by countless energetic children in a very short time. Additionally, the vast majority of young people today have access to computers at home where there are all of the interactive options one could possibly wish for.

The original query was about a personal exibit in one's home, I believe. In such circumstances you have an excellent opportunity to stimulate an interest in minerals just by standing by and answering questions and pointing out features. Most collectors also have samples they can let visitors handle. I have yet to see an interactive exhibit in a private home, and I suspect that there are few, if any.

[katherine.Dunnell]

speaking of interactive.....

ROM has just posted photos of all of the specimens in our new mineral gallery online.
I posted in the mineral photo gallery section but fear people will not see it.

Click here to see all of the 2049 minerals in our gallery:
https://images.rom.on.ca/public/index.php?function=browse&action=selected&tbl=science&filter=sc_coll&fid=77&sid=&ccid=
(link normalized by FMF)

thanks
Katherine Dunnell
Royal Ontario Museum

[TheBrickPrinter]

I must confess that I have never seen a good interactive display for mineral specimens, but that is not to say that it is not possible. The British Museum did an absolutely atrocious job at their attempt--never been so dissappointed in any display in any museum in my life. And the material was not the problem-it was almost without peer--it was some kind of gimmick thing to grab the attention of children and "educate" them. I much more enjoyed the endless glass covered cases that they had than all the hoopla they tried to create.

A museum housing a collection , I think has to remember what the purpose of a collection of artifacts is. They are to be preserved and presented--education is secondary in my opinion as even is research. Both are important functions but it is all about the object itself. And do not get me wrong--they should of course be available for research and support an educational purpose, but schools and universities are the seats of education--museums are for the holding, archiving, preserving, conserving and presenting of the objects. Making them available to be seen by the public--if a public museum-is its mission.. I absolutely applaud the Royal Museum in Ontario for posting pictures of all its specimens. That is what should be done.

Every specimen in the Smithsonian Collection should be cataloged, photographed, and made available to the citizens of the USA (and world) for they are those citizen's property. The web and digital photography now makes this possible. That in my opinion is the job of the curator.

The thing I would like to see as an interactive display is the ability to more deeply delve into the object itself beyond what a simple label can present. And a label is indeed the rudimentary form of an inteactive display. And it does not have to be done right at the object itself--for example if one wanted to learn more--it could be available on the web for prior study or in another area within the museum. A hall of study. There, if one was so inclined, one could go and delve and then return to the object. Most would of course not do so, but I still think it is the duty to have it available. There one could view similar objects that were in the back room virtually and compare. Or have ability to print out more indepth info on the object or the case of objects.

Even something as simple as a constantly changing label would work for many items.