The chapters we read this week discussed the history of the museum and how it has changed over time. Cameron talked about the issue of what a museum is. Should it be a solemn place where material culture is displayed? How do we use new technologies to display the past? How do we involve the public in a learning experience? He asks the question should a museum be a temple or a forum and he answers by stating that there needs to be a reform that places importance on the forum aspect. He also discusses the social responsibilities that museums have toward the public. He argued that museums have to “create an equality of cultural opportunity.” If museums become temples, then only those interested in temples will go to them, he argues. Nina Simon continues with this theme of reform and reaching out when she wrote about the principles of participation on page 335. She discussed how participatory experiences can “create new value for the institution, participants, and nonparticipating audience members.” This brings to mind a couple of examples for me. The first is the Museum of Tolerance in LA. Visitors are invited to take part in WWII events and given a card with the picture of a Jewish child on it. At the end the participant finds out if the child survived. Telling someone about the atrocities committed in WWII is one thing. Giving them the chance to connect with a person who was alive at the time who possibly did not survive brings to life the realities of that particular event. The second example that spring to mind is Zoo Boise. This educational institution has a wonderful environmental program. At the gate you are charged for admission and an environmental fee. This fee is one dollar. For that dollar you are given a token which you then take to an area where the pictures of three endangered species are placed with some information about the animals. You get to choose which bucket you drop your token into and the zoo donates to that cause. It is a way to inform the public about the environment, animals, and conservation. Fun, educational, and entertaining. The big three.