Watching Excavation--ROM

[MarkSabercat@aol.com]

I just wanted to say that I agree with Stephan Pickering regarding the aspect 
of having museum visitors watch archao/paleo excavation and preparation 
techniques.
Like the traditional viewing window in the wall of an onsite urban 
construction site, people are fascinated by seeing an extensive, ongoing 
project take shape, whether its a building or a dinosaur. This sort of thing 
is an excellent counter to the oft -cited complaint about exhibits, "It's 
just the same as when I was a kid...nothing new to see." It's also highly 
relavant to one of the actual processes of palentology and science itself, 
the often slow and deliberate unmasking of knowledge. Too bad if this 
sometimes takes awhile. Onsite viewing stations, together with adjacent 
explanatory displays, are a great "hook" for getting visitors to come back 
in, especially if they can interact with the preparators and get their 
questions answered, and showcase paleolabs are a focus for several natural 
history museums.
Mark Hallett