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I am reminded of something Clifford Wagner once said - "Riff off, not
rip off..."
Beryl

>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Another factor that comes into play is that it is really
>difficult to know where the original idea for an exhibit
>came from.  Many of the early exhibits at the Exploratorium
>came from a book called the Handbook for the Physical
>Sciences which is a book of science demonstrations for
>use in the classroom.  Frank Oppenheimer had used
>this book when he taught high school science in Colorado.
>
>I agree with Andy (below) that the look and feel of an exhibit
>are something that an individual museum might claim as
>it's own, but the basic phenomena is often something that
>has been around either in nature or in the classroom for
>many years.
>
>There are two differences I want to raise.  Often someone
>will call and want lots of free information on how an exhibit
>works and how you did things to make it work.  This intellectual
>property is something both sides should be clear in discussing.
>How much is just professional courtesy between museum
>professionals and how much is wanting something for nothing.
>The other situation is how one plans to use exhibit knowledge
>and designs they borrow from a museum.  I think this particularly
>comes into play if you are planning to sell copies of an exhibit.
>I know of one exhibit design firm that copied pages out of the
>Exploratorium Cookbook and put their own logo at the top of
>the page in trying to sell their services to a museum.
>
>We are all here (I hope) to help the public have quality experiences
>that excite them about science and technology and it doesn't
>make sense to reinvent the wheel each time we develop an
>exhibit... but there is something to be said about taking good
>ideas and putting your own stamp on them.
>
>Dave Taylor
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>>  From: Lloyd Andy <[log in to unmask]>
>
>>  Subject: Re: Question about exhibits
>
>>  Matthew
>>
>>  something to also consider is the nature of the exhibit.  A venue would have
>>  a hard time arguing it had ownership of a phenomenon, which is what most of
>>  the "Cookbook" type exhibits are based upon - partly why you see similar
>>  exhibits all around the world.  You would be on trickier territory with
>>  non-phenomenological exhibits as considerably more investment will have gone
>>  into the core activity rather than just the fine detail of the design, so
>>  creators will certainly feel more ownership of the end result.  On the other
>>  hand, these sort of exhibits are difficult to copy without doing the bulk of
>>  the work again, so you often better off speaking to the originator anyway.
>>
>>  Good luck with your studies!
>>
>>  Andy Lloyd                                              tel. +44 (0) 20 7942
>>  4377
>>  Interaction & Technology Specialist             fax +44 (0) 20 7942 4383
>>  Science Museum Solutions                        www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
>>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>>  From: mperkin2 [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>
>>  Subject: Question about exhibits
>>
>>  Dear Informal Educators,
>>
>>  I have visited several facilities over the past couple of years and have
>>  seen
>>  many things I would love to duplicate in a facility I may work at in the
>>  future.  What are the rules, unwritten and written, on copying and adapting
>>  exhibit ideas from facility to facility?  I am currently a doctoral student,
>>  formerly the director of a small school planetarium, and hope to someday
>>  again work at a planetarium with science center.  Feel free to respond
>off-list to [log in to unmask]
>>
>>  Thanks,
>>
>>  Matthew Perkins
>>  Ph.D candidate, Science Education
>>  University of Tennessee
>
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--
Beryl Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs
MIT Museum
265 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA  02139
Tel: 617-452-2111
Fax: 617-253-8994
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