I made a point of going after the original rush had died down a little and during a school week but both precautions made no difference at all, still very busy. I think the controls on the flow rate through are a very good idea and should be kept up as too many people leaning over to see what is happening at the tables stop them working or cause problems.
With regard to the content, I was very impressed. Teaching people about the importance of a collection of any scientific discipline is fantastic, it makes the whole point of museums clear. The moor information recorded at time of collection of a specimen or during later study all adds to our knowledge about the subject matter. It's like "CSI Earth" and we all love the story of how the detectives get their results.
I think the Cacoon is a great idea from an educational point of view. I do hope it does not make access to any of the archived material any harder for anybody studying. I have noticed that this is a trend with less staff to run such area as libraries etc (I believe this is a general trend accross many museums).
I hope the Cocoon inspires a whole new generation of Attenboroughs, Leakeys, Fosseys or even Darwins.
