Beyond the Button

courtesy William SpaetzelFifth grader, Kenton Stufflebeam, has pointed out an error in a museum exhibit about geology at the Smithsonian that's been out for the public to see for 27 years. By building mechanisms for visitors to share their knowledge and ideas we can avoid this sort of issue in the future. Many museum folk immediately worry about accuracy when we talk about new experiences that let visitors contribute and share authority with our institutions. In this case the expertise flowed from visitor to museum instead of the other way around.