[NHCOLL-L:490] Re: Food in museums

[Neil Clark]

Britney asked...

> Has anyone been around when food was first
> introduced to your museum?  Did that introduce any new problems?  Were you
> able to keep bugs, rodents and people  under control?  

We allow functions and receptions (shock! horror!!!) in our museum 
amongst the exhibits.  This means that exhibits and cases become 
resting places for glasses, plates, unwanted food etc.  We don't 
have a problem with insects or rodents or usual pests (besides the 
human ones), but we do have problems with oils and pigments from 
the food and drink staining the exhibits.  NEVER have red wine 
anywhere in a museum.  I think the worst damage to exhibits comes 
from school kids with pencils, crayons and gum.  The only other 
interaction with the exhibits that may cause damage is with our 
Roman alter stones where university students deposit flowers and 
food offerings to the Roman gods particularly around exam time.

Neil


Dr Neil Clark
Curator of Palaeontology
Hunterian Museum
University of Glasgow
GLASGOW
G12 8QQ
Scotland/UK
email: NCLARK at museum.gla.ac.uk
My web site:- http://www.gla.ac.uk/~gxha14/

'Man must surely have become an immensely worse animal 
than his teeth show him to have been designed for'
Hugh Miller (Cruise of the Betsey - 1858)