That was the question facing the Cromwell Community Board this week The board agreed the museum should be retained but has called for more reports before deciding where it should be located.
The question arose as the museum shares a building with the Cromwell visitor information centre and the town library in the Mall, but a new information centre is to be built as a stand-alone facility, outside the Mall, on Murray Tce.
The Central Otago District Council's visitor information centres manager, Ingrid Temple, said that meant the board had to look at options for the museum's future and for the "redundant" information centre space.
She gave nine different options and outlined what each one would cost.
The museum opened in 1988 and was run as an offshoot of the information centre, whose staff provided security and a "minimal" level of service in respect to the museum, she said.
"This is largely related to the fact that the museum is not part of the core function for i-Site staff and happens more by association rather than deliberately."
The museum received $23,075 in ratepayer funding annually, she said.
Options for the museum's future included it remaining in the same place, being operated and managed by the library, as a self-guided, unstaffed facility or remaining in the same place, staffed and accessed through the library.
Mrs Temple said another option was for the facility to remain where it was and expand into information centre site, or for it to be run in partnership with a community organisation.
It could be relocated with the information centre but an extension to that new building to accommodate it would cost up to $500,000, which would have to be funded by the Cromwell ward.
Other options included relocating the museum to Old Cromwell Town or to the Memorial Hall, as part of the redevelopment of that facility.
Closing the museum and storing the exhibits was another option.
Board chairman Neil Gillespie said the museum and information centre had been "joined at the hip" for about 20 years and the board had to decide whether the two facilities should remain together.
It had to understand the "big picture" by considering plans for the future of the Lode Lane toilets and the redevelopment of the Mall at the same time as it was deciding on the future of the museum.
Board member and Central Otago district councillor Gordon Stewart said it was vital to retain the museum in the Mall.
"We've got to retain what is a significant attraction in the centre of the Mall. It's got to stay, and we need to upgrade it as well."
Fellow board member Cliff Crawford agreed and said it was needed to bring people into the Mall.
Although Old Cromwell Town would be an appropriate place for the facility, if it was going to be moved, there would still be a problem with staffing it, board member Murray MacMillan said.
