Emerging research communities and the World Wide Web: analysis of a Web-based resource for the field of museum learning

In this paper we contrast the possibilities of the World Wide Web to transf orm communities of educational researchers with actual patterns of use of T he Museum Learning Collaborative Web site. We highlight patterns of user in teraction that have emerged and discuss the problems and opportunities of c reating shared research resources in emerging fields such as museum learnin g research. Our findings have direct implications for three stakeholders: p rogram funders, ourselves as project researchers. and the larger museum res earch community. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.