It is sometimes argued whether the powerful computer science and internet could replace public museums and art galleries. I believe new technologies could only work as supplements as appose to replacements.

I believe people who would like to appreciate historical objects and art works online usually find it is convenient to do so. Firstly, one can search for an object by just typing a few characters, and the result would come out automatically. Secondly, unlike museums and art galleries whose opening hours are fixed, people can access the information online at anytime they want. Thirdly, with the scanning technology developing, now we can see more details of a historical object or an art work. For instance, people can zoom in or zoom out a picture to see the texture of a piece of painting which sometimes is even hard for naked eyes to see.

However, I also believe that all the benefits of the computer and the internet cannot diminish the necessity of public museums and art galleries. In order to help visitors learn more about their exhibits, museums and galleries would hold various activities, such as hiring musicians to play music with the instruments which are in display. In addition, since the computer screen size is limited, seeing an item in its original size in person is a totally different experience from seeing it on screen. Also, sometimes the museums and galleries would allow visitors to touch a certain exhibit or a replica so that people could not only see the texture but also feel it by themselves.

In conclusion, my view is that new computer technologies are not substitutive for public museum and art galleries.