A task force of museum professionals formed by the Legislature to study the cultural and eco-tourism potential of Barbers Point Naval Air Station recommended such a managing authority in its report. This report is a useful model to follow for any museum complex. Museums will have to shed their traditional operating systems if they expect to survive in fiscally uncertain times. This is occurring at the same time museums and cultural centers serve a wider spectrum of public needs. Doing more with less.
Museums provide a sense of continuity in a rapidly changing culture.
Whether it's our own children or visitors, the question is whether we want museums to entertain or to educate, or better yet, educate in an entertaining way. As stewards of our natural and cultural heritage, they preserve the natural and collective human experience. As education institutions, they study and interpret that heritage, and they enlighten and enrich each visitor. They stimulate curiosity, increase knowledge, give pleasure. They acquaint us with the unfamiliar and provide new perspectives on the known.