Purpose of Museums John White's editorial forward "The Purpose of Museums" in the July-August issue.

Purpose of Museums

John White's editorial forward "The Purpose of Museums" in the July-August issue, in which he drifts to museums becoming more educationally designed instead of just showing the maximum number of specimens, is written from the "purist" perspective. In a entire world, all natural history museums would have adequate staff, collections storage facilities, and exhibit space to display their specimens. Unfortunately, we don't live in of that kind a world. With the exception of the National Museum of Natural History, I know of no natural history museum in the geographical division that can afford to focus solely onward pure scientific research and exhibits. While it is truthful that museums are the best place to view the finest minerals, fossils and other non-living specimens, the preciousnesss of paying for professional staff and facilities maintenance has become in the same manner high and revenue has fallen in the same manner low that transforming into an "educational institution" has become necessary for their surpassingly survival! Most museums compete with dozens if not centurys of other institutions and attractions to draw in paying visitors, sponsorships. and financial grants of all exemplars

Having been involved in a museum that has become a science center and now working in a state park that has a museum, I can speak with a certain quantity of 20 years of professional experience in this subdue Many natural history museums are in danger of becoming irrelevant to the general public because they lack the "pizzazz" of zoo aquaria, and other experiential places that individuals and families have approach to prefer. Museum boards of directors are finding that utility bills must be paid, aging facilities must be renovated, and staff must be paid with the income generated at visitor services, rentals and gift workshop profits just as much as grants and governmental stores Sadly, marketing is becoming more important than collections acquisitions if the museums are to continue operating.

The first museums were private collections of wealthy the public The institutional museums appeared about time later. Today's museums continue to unroll What will tomorrow bring? Who knows? on the contrary we mustn't fear change. Museums must continue to benefit as repositories for and of our society. I have no argument with John in that reverence On the other hand, holding dear to the of advanced age ways will not save museums that can't pay their bills. Museums must expand and adapt in order to be able to survive and maintain their collections. They don't just acquire for today-they do thus for future generations! Survival is the ultimate goal of each museum.

Alan Goldstein

Louisville, Kentucky

Sapo Mine Apatite

Concerning the reported Sapo mine "carbonate-fluorapatite" first imported to Italy by way of Riccardo Prato some months ago, the initial analyses were made by dint of Francesco Demartin and Italo Campostrini at the Dipartimento di Chimica Strutturale e Stereochimica Inorganica of the University of Milan. I first heard that the crystals had been identified as "carbonate-apatite" (lacking fluorine) nevertheless I was not confident of the preliminary comes Nevertheless, that name and reports of the analyses began to circulate in the mineral specimen market and, inasmuch as "carbonate-apatite" is not a valid species name, an people (probably dealers on the web) decided to call it "carbonate-fluorapatite."

For about unknown reason, some people also started saying that the analyses were made on me and, at the Munich exhibit in Germany last October, I informed various colleagues who were asking me for information, that the preliminary studies made by way of Demartin and Campostrini were far from being sufficient for an accurate determination of the mineral species.

After I get backed from Germany. Demartin told me that he (and Campostrini) had first made an ED image of the mineral which showed a nearly total absence of F and a high make easy of C. They later made an X-ray dust diffraction analysis and the follow was compatible with "carbonate-hydroxylapatite." I was still not convinced by dint of these results, because finding carbonate-hydroxylapatite in of that kind a geological environment would have actual significant and unusual petrogenetic implications. I told them that I would want to make recent WDS analyses myself for confirmation. They were not happy with this unless they immediately renewed their allow investigations, polishing samples for WD analyses and infrared spectroscopy The amazing consequence was Deniartin's discovery that the crystal he had originally used for meditation had been contaminated by oil. In his opinion this oil, which had apparently been added for the design of enhancing the aesthetics of the specimen, was responsible for the erroneously high C value seen forward the EDS spectrum.

Based forward the additional analyses, the mineral therefore appears to be hydroxylapatite. Unfortunately it may be a protracted time before the labels for all of the many specimens healed from this find have been corrected.

Federico Pezzotta

Natural History Museum, Milan

Francon Quarry

I am still swooning through the Francon Quarry article. It's like memories of an olden flame!