I'm sure this does not apply to all museums, but . . . my experience has been that museums, and their curators, are more than happy to let "civilians" at the collections, whether for art, photos, or study, as long as there is a purpose, and arrangements are made in advance. i realize the original question here had to do with simply stopping in and browsing around to see what was in the collection, but it morphed into "academics only" and i think that is simply not the case. space is the restriction generally for putting things on display. allowing folks who wander in on a casual basis to see the stuff behind the scenes (seens? pun . . .) may be difficult for a staff that has other things to attend to -- curating, their own research, maybe even being secretary, though i have on occasion been invited "backstage" after engaging an employee in discussion. i simply don't believe that there are many (if any) curators out there who wouldn't like to show everyone everything, but practical matters prevent it. 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. blue _________________________________________________________________ Optimize your Internet experience to the max with the new MSN Premium Internet Software. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200359ave/direct/01/