from The New York Times
Skyscrapers in Cyberspace: Maps and History Online
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It is only when individual artefacts are accessed and linked in a meaningful way that a collection can come to life and takes on a special significance - whether in a real-life physical space, such as the museum, or in virtual space! An important argument to ponder over is that the presentation of collections, especially in an online environment, is less about technological challenges but more of a communication design problem :

As museums digitize their collections and cram their Web sites with images of artworks, archaeological artifacts and other cultural treasures, they also must decide how people can sort through the material. Most museum sites offer a search engine and a few chronologically organized virtual exhibitions. But museums, always cost-conscious and often conservative, are rarely inclined to experiment with how information is presented onscreen.

This also brings up another interesting issue, as museums embark on digitisation efforts, always fearful of being left behind in this technological race. Would the need for digitisation now drives conservation work priorities - perhaps in tandem or more likely in competition with exhibitions and their conservation needs? Would aretfacts be expected to be properly conserved before digital images are taken?