Museum reviews on the jpoc web site.

Rule number one is, of course, to actually visit the museum and have a look around.

Rule number two is to take notes on the spot. It's no good doing it a week later. It's not really so good doing it on the train ride home.

I try to make my museum reviews useful in practical ways as well as just describing the exhibits. So, when I am visiting a museum, I know that I must also check out the shop, the guide books available. Especially when visiting a museum in a non Anglophone location, I check on how much material is available in English.

If possible, I try to talk to members of the staff to get a feel for the level of help and assistance that is available.

I'll also try and check out the museum cafe if there is one. A good museum cafe can be a real treat but, if there is not one in the museum, I'll try to give some idea of the availability of a cup of coffee in the general area.

One other thing that I look for is the degree to which a museum is child friendly. There are two aspects to this. First and most obvious is whether or not the museums content will keep a child interested. Beyond that, is the matter of safety of both a child and the exhibits.

It's not much fun for parents in a museum if they are constantly worried that little Johnnie is going to cause serious damage to a priceless exhibit or suffer from injury so we do try and take that into account.

Lastly, I try to give some idea of how long you will spend in the museum. I do not give a figure that includes long periods of study of all of the exhibits. I try to give an estimate for how long it will take you to walk around the museum and look for a moment at each exhibit or display case.