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) kids as cUrators:
Virtual galleries will be created on-line, in which young visitors will
be offered selected digital resources (photos of exhibits, documentation
material in various formats, etc.) and curatorial responsibilities
in order to build their own exhibition following simple “game
rules”. Going through the process of selection, kids will familiarize
with the idea of classifying things according to a standard (date,
type, material, size, etc.), make decisions about the story they want to
present, and possibly contemplate upon the various ways in which
one can approach ancient artefacts and the past.
Further opportunities of interaction are offered by social networks
(e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Those media are increasingly used
by visitors who wish to post comments, opinions and insights on
museum collections and exhibitions through the web. This kind
of direct and informal contact has generated already an interesting
debate about the ways such “web communities” can affect curatorial
practices. Although it is early to reach any conclusions, the questions
posed are intriguing: Should the expressed views be taken into
consideration in future exhibition planning? How representative are
they of the “public” in general? Can this type of interaction acquire
an educational character? Should we increase public access to museum
resources and encourage visitors to build their own “virtual
collections” and express their ideas about artefacts, sites and the past
in general? Although impossible to answer at this stage, those questions
exemplify the nature of challenges modern museology has to
confront.
Epilogue
Although the concept and character of archaeological museums has
not altered significantly over the past two hundred years, the relation
of the public with them has undergone a great transformation. Major
changes in the fabric of European societies have increased cultural
diversity, shifting the focus of public interest from rigid national
histories to more negotiable associations between the past and the
present. At the same time, information technology has opened new
paths of communication between museums and the public, the implications
of which are still difficult to capture in full.
In order to respond efficiently, archaeologists and curators have to
reconsider the conceptual framework of our discipline. The strong
links with national ideals need to be questioned. The role of archae-
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