CHAPTER 4
                         DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

                                   Introduction

      Museums that apply wikis to their Native collections are likely to experience new

benefits and meet complex issues in pursuing the museums' collaborative goals. The

collaborative wiki platform presents a number of opportunities for enhanced information

exchange not as readily available through conventional museum methods. With

increased information exchange, there are several issues museums should proactively

address to actualize museum goals through the wiki model.

                            Benefits of the Wiki Model

      Collaborative museum wiki projects can benefit multiple groups: American

Indians, museums, and members of the Native and non-Native public. Each group

benefits from the creation of new platforms for free, fast, and user-friendly information

sharing. This is a mutually beneficial partnership that increases each group's access to

new information concerning Native collections.

       In the application of this wiki model, American Indian groups benefit from

enhanced digital access to Native objects and collections information. This increased

access to Native collections provides potential resources for Native Americans to

research Native cultural practices. After discovering which Native objects the museum

holds, Native communities may also form object loan agreements with a museum, so

that Native American communities can gain further understanding from viewing the

objects in person.

      Wikis can assist museums in building more culturally informed collections

records. Information received from wiki consultation is also less resource-intensive than