Computer technologies revolutionized communication infrastructure in the 1990s. Since its advent the information highway has greatly influenced the way people interact with communities and other individuals. The new computer technologies were already challenging museums to build new models for public services and to fulfill the new concept of museum. In light of current issues on computer technology in museum community, this study reveals conceptual context of museum automation and c1arifies implications of museum information standards in a networked environment. It is hoped that this study enhances awareness of the need to have standards which will help museums to be more effective and interactive in the ways that they manage and disseminate information. Museums are accountable for preservation of their collections and making them available to the public. Current computer technology and museum automation have made these responsibilities more realistic because computers have helped museums become more viable as organizations since the 1960s. The purpose of museum automation is to disseminate museum information, both internally and externally , and to improve museum programs by offering more and higher quality information to the public. Up to now, museums have focused on internal functions such as collection management and administration: however, automation demands that information sharing be activated between the museum and the public. Consequently interactive multimedia tools provided ways of communicating the rich meanings embodied in museum artifacts . The integration of sound and image data into museum collections databases offers a new opportunity for recording the depth of information about the works in museum collections, and it helps interpret their significance. The growing use of computers in museums has accentuated the need for information standards. A number of global museum networking projects evoked the need for standards which will manage the computerized collections information in the museum field , especially in a networked environment of collaboration and sharing information. For the last three decades , the International Council of Museums and the International Council of Documentation brought museum professionals together to develop and adopt standards. To add, the Getty Information Institute , the International Organization for Standardization, and other national and international standards agencies have developed several standards for museums. More recently , information standards have been widely discussed for disseminating collections information via the Internet among diverse museums. As museums implement their museum web pages on the Internet, there is an increased need for museums to develop appropriate criteria for the collections information that is put on the Internet. A dominant consensus is that the content and format using standards ensure the interchangeability and longevity of the information. Museums need standards in order to provide the basis for effective manual and computer system and to support the interchange of information from one institution to another. Using standards for the content and format is essential for shaping a structure of information layout that will accommodate diverse public interests and eventually to accomplish information sharing. To this end the museum community, including museum staff, researchers , libraries , publishers , and system developers should cooperate to make standards and adopt them for their own information system.