Dear Jose;-
   Of course you are an Educational institution. Most Museums are.
What I was attempting (badly) to point out is that the Bailey-Mathews,
 being primarily an organization devoted to the under-represented
creatures  having no backbone, will do a high percentage of its
educational mission through the medium of touch, look, and tell. The
Chicago Museum of Natural History (the Field) has a tremendous number
of specimens in its backrooms. It welcomes visitors there as well.
But, when I was last there, there wasn't a single shell on display
for the public.
     Here at The Cincinnati Museum, we have changed. When Ralph Dury
was in charge we had a wonderful shell room open to the public. Ralph
died. I'll never forgive him for that. The new man in charge  kept
the shells but removed them from display and featured his own passion-
--birds.
    Now I like birds. They are delicious. But just to see the shells
I have to slave away in the back room under the cold eye of our
Collections Manager, Paula Work---who likes fossils.
    I don't know if you ever met Mr. Glancy. He lived in Central
Indiana and had what he called his shell Museum in a barn separated
from his house. Being 90 years old (for most of his life) he rode a
tricycle from the house to the barn. He wasn't a stupid man. He had
been a school superintendent; and he had developed some new strains
of popcorn. But his idea of "Museum" was---he had an example of every
olive  featured in the Ziegler book---GLUED to a big round piece of
cardboard. He also had some 2000 tiger cowries mounted row on row
like an army ready for battle.
     Speaking as a collector, writer, and flying pig expert, I like
your idea of how to run a shell museum and how to present it. I'll
get there. I'll get there.
                Art