リストラ対象？　それとも……

抄録

As museums establish their own web sites, special importance is being given to providing the latest information, opening to the public detailed information about works in their collections, and the bilateral exchange of opinions with the users. However, there is a strong impression that the opening of the collection data base to the public is proceeding at a snail's pace. That is because an adequate consensus has not been reached at museums in Japan concerning the significance of information exchange. Also, many museums take a negative approach toward interacting with the general user, and are not making use of the two-way information exchange which is a distinctive characteristic of web sites. Even so, some museums have, in fact, set up outstanding web sites. While the content of these sites is, of course, very important, even moreso is the fact that if there is wider diffusion of the knowhow needed to establish and operate web sites, that know-how will undoubtedly pave the way for an overall improvement in all of Japan's museum web sites. In order to thwart criticism that "museum web sites are a waste of the taxpayers' money" there is a need for a stimulating exchange of opinion on this topic.