Here at the Milwaukee Public Museum, one of our annual events is Behind the
Scenes night for Friends of the Museum.  In Invertebrate Zoology, I have
often featured aspects of the mollusk collection at this event.  This year
it'll be the freshwater mussel collection and the special guest of the
evening will be malacologist Marian Havlik of LaCrosse WI.  It takes a lot
of preparation to bring even portions of the collection out for the visitors
to enjoy, but we staff members are told repeatedly how much this event is
appreciated and how Friends members view it as one of the great benefits of
their membership.

Joan Jass, Curator of Non-insect Invertebrates, Milwaukee Public Museum,
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-----Original Message-----
From: Allen Aigen [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 8:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Museums


 on the
> other
> hand, if you're trying to sort out your Cypraeas and would like to
> see a
> large series, try writing in to schedule a day with a curator and
> collection. i doubt they'll ask for credentials and will probably
> learn a
> thing or two themselves in helping your quest.
>

Although the staff at the American Museum of Natural History is very
helpful and friendly for those persistent enough to get onto closed
collection areas, you will need someone from the academic community to
vouch for you before you are let in for the first time.  Security is very
tight and rules have been imposed upon everyone.

Allen Aigen  NYC
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