Wikipedia is suitable, indeed recommended, for encyclopaedic entries on all museums. However, further more extended use by museums for their own purposes is not encouraged or appropriate in general. If this is required, it is possible for a museum to set up its own wiki with suitable technical support. Alternatively, if support is not available, it is possible to use other external wiki facilities. A museums wiki has been set up expressly for this purpose and other experiments concerning museum-related information ( http://museums.wikia.com/ ). Museums and people interested in museums are encouraged to add to this wiki and promote community use of it. This wiki is intended to be available for continuing use by museums for the foreseeable future.
For information on documenting museums on Wikipedia, see the paper "Museums and Wikipedia" at the 2006 Museums and the Web conference ( http://www.archimuse.com/mw2006/papers/bowen/bowen.html ). It is recommended that you read this paper first before attempting to edit the Museums Wiki. You are welcome to interlink Wikipedia museums pages and pages on this wiki if you wish, as appropriate. The Museums Wiki is best for more detailed multi-page information, whereas Wikipedia is appropriate for a one-page entry on most museums. Do contact me if you have a particular project in mind and need any advice. However wiki technology encourages experimentation and it is reasonably easy to correct mistakes in any case. It is likely that I will keep an eye on activities on the Museums Wiki, but may make changes as appropriate, especially with respect to categorization of pages. -- Prof. Jonathan P. Bowen, Chairman, Museophile Limited Visiting Professor, London South Bank University URL: www.jpbowen.com / www.museophile.com
