A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and enjoyment", as defined by the International Council of Museums. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency See also Entertainment (disambiguation and The Entertainer (disambiguation Entertainment is an activity designed to give people The International Council of Museums (ICOM is an international organization of Museums and museum professionals which is committed to the conservation continuation and communication ^[1] The UK Museums Association definition (adopted 1998)^[2] is:

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Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. The Museums Association ( MA) is a professional organisation based in London for museum professionals and museums in the United Kingdom. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artifacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.

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There are tens of thousands of museums all over the world. For a relatively short list, see the List of museums. This list of museums is defined for this context as institutions (including Nonprofit organizations government entities and private Businesses that collect and care

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Overview 3 Types of museums 3.1 Art museums 3.2 Maritime museums 3.3 Mobile museums 3.4 Natural history museums 3.5 Open air museums 3.6 Science museums 3.7 Specialized museums 3.8 Virtual museums 3.9 Zoos and Zoological Gardens 4 Museum 5 Controversies 6 Management 7 Museum exhibition design 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links

Etymology

The English "museum" comes from the Latin word, and is pluralized as "museums" (or, rarely, "musea"). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It is originally from the Greek Μουσείον (Mouseion)^[3], which denotes a place or temple dedicated to the Muses (the patron divinities in Greek mythology of the arts), and hence a building set apart for study and the arts,^[4] especially the institute for philosophy and research at the Library established at Alexandria by Ptolemy I Soter c280 BCE. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly In Greek mythology, the Muses ( Ancient Greek, hai moũsai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root * men- "think" are Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The Musaeum or Mouseion at Alexandria (Μουσείον της Αλεξάνδρειας which included the famous Library of Alexandria, was an institution apparently Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language The Royal Library of Alexandria or Ancient Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the ancient world Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια For the astronomer see Ptolemy; for others named "Ptolemy" or "Ptolemaeus" see Ptolemy (disambiguation. ^[5] This is considered by many to be the first museum/library. A library is a collection of information sources resources and services and the structure in which it is housed it is organized for use and maintained by a public body an institution

Overview

Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities throughout the world and more local ones exist in smaller cities, towns and even the countryside. Many museums offer programs and activities for a range of audiences, including adults, children, and families, as well as those for more specific professions. Programs for the public may consist of lectures or tutorials by the museum faculty or field experts, films, musical or dance performances, and technology demonstrations. A lecture is an oral Presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject for example by a University or College Many times, museums concentrate on the host region's culture. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Although most museums do not allow physical contact with the associated artifacts, there are some that are interactive and encourage a more hands-on approach. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of subject matter and introduced many interactive exhibits, which give the public the opportunity to make choices and engage in activities that may vary the experience from person to person. Museology (also called museum studies) is the study of how to organize and manage Museums and museum collections. A virtual museum is a Museum that exists only On-line, including but not limited to museums that hold object originally created digitally such as Net art With the advent of the internet, there are growing numbers of virtual exhibits, i. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks A virtual museum is a Museum that exists only On-line, including but not limited to museums that hold object originally created digitally such as Net art e. web versions of exhibits showing images and playing recorded sound.

Museums are usually open to the general public, sometimes charging an admission fee. A fee is the Price one pays as Remuneration for Services especially the Honorarium paid to a doctor lawyer, Consultant Some museums are publicly funded and have free entrance, either permanently or on special days, e. g. once per week or year.

Museums are usually not run for the purpose of making a profit, unlike private galleries which more often engage in the sale of objects. An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually Visual art. There are governmental museums, non-governmental or non-profit museums, and privately owned or family museums. A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage Museums can be a great source of about cultures and history.

Types of museums

There are very many types of museums, from very large collections in major cities, covering many of the categories below, to very small museums covering either a particular location in a general way, or a particular subject, such an individual notable person. Categories include: fine arts, applied arts, craft, archaeology, anthropology and ethnology, history, cultural history, military history, science, technology, children's museums, natural history, numismatics, botanical and zoological gardens and philately. Fine art is any Art form developed primarily for Aesthetics rather than Utility. Applied art refers to the application of Design and Aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use A craft is a Skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a Trade or particular art Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of Ethnology (from the Greek ἔθνος, ethnos meaning "habit custom convention" is the branch of Anthropology that compares and History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology The term cultural history (from the German term) refers both to an Academic discipline and to its subject matter Military history is a Humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs that stimulate Informal learning experiences for Children. Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods Numismatics (numisma nomisma "coin" from the νομίζειν nomízein, "to use according to law" is the study or collection of Currency Botanical gardens grow a wide variety of Plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes A zoological garden, shortened to zoo, is an institution in which living animals are exhibited in captivity Philately is the study and collecting of revenue and postage stamps Within these categories many museums specialize further, e. g. museums of modern art, local history, aviation history, agriculture or geology. History of Modern art Roots in the 19th century Although modern Sculpture and Architecture are reckoned to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit A museum normally houses a core collection of important selected objects in its field. Objects are formally accessioned by being registered in the museum's collection with an artifact number and details recorded about their provenance. Accession (from Lat accedere, to go to to approach in Law, a method of acquiring Property adopted from Roman law (see Accessio Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from" means the Origin, or the source, of something or the history of the ownership or location The persons in charge of the collection and of the exhibits are known as curators. Curator (from Latin cura care means manager overseer. A curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution (e

Art museums

Main article: Art museum

An Art museum, also known as an art gallery, is a space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art, and usually primarily paintings, illustrations, and sculpture. An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually Visual art. The visual arts are art forms that focus on the creation of works which are primarily Visual in nature such as Painting, Photography Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e An illustration is a visualization such as a Drawing, Painting, Photograph or other work of Art that stresses subject more than Collections of drawings and old master prints are often not displayed on the walls, but kept in a print room. Drawing is a Visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium An old master print is a work of art produced by a Printing process within the Western tradition (European or New World A print room is either a room or industrial building where Printing takes place or a room in an Art gallery, Museum or Archive, where a collection There may be collections of applied art, including ceramics, metalwork, furniture, artist's books and other types of object. Applied art refers to the application of Design and Aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use Ceramics and ceramic art in the art world means artwork made out of clay bodies and fired to form a ceramic. Metalworking is craft and practice of working with Metals to create individual parts assemblies or large scale structures Artists' books are works of art realized in the form of a book

The first publicly owned museum in Europe was the Amerbach-Cabinet in Basel, originally a private collection sold to the city in 1661 and public since 1671 (now Kunstmuseum Basel). "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public Art collection in Switzerland, and is listed as a heritage site of national significance ^[6] The Uffizi Gallery in Florence was initially conceived as a palace for the offices of Florentian magistrates (hence the name), it later evolved into a display place for many of the paintings and sculpture collected by the Medici family or commissioned by them. The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi one of the oldest and most famous Art Museums in the world is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany After the house of Medici was extinguished, the art treasures remained in Florence, forming one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public. Another early public museum was The British Museum in London, which opened to the public in 1759. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. ^[7] It was a "universal museum" with very varied collections covering art, applied art, archaeology, anthropology, history, and science, and a library. The science collections, library, paintings and modern sculpture have since been found separate homes, leaving history, archaeology, non-European and pre-Renaissance art, and prints and drawings.

The specialised art museum is considered a fairly modern invention, the first being the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg which was established in 1764. An invention is a new form composition of matter device or Process. The State Hermitage Museum (Государственный Эрмитаж Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River

The Louvre in Paris, France was established in 1793, soon after the French Revolution when the royal treasures were declared for the people. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city ^[8] The Czartoryski Museum in Kraków was established in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska. The Czartoryski Museum was founded in Kraków in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska to preserve Polish heritage in keeping with the Princess' motto Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Life She was the daughter of Count Jerzy Detloff Fleming and Princess Antonina Czartoryska. ^[9] This showed the beginnings of removing art collections from the private domain of aristocracy and the wealthy into the public sphere, where they were seen as sites for educating the masses in taste and cultural refinement.

History museums cover the knowledge of history and its relevance to the present and future. History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Some cover specialized curatorial aspects of history or a particular locality; others are more general. Such museums contain a wide range of objects, including documents, artifacts of all kinds, art, archaeological objects. Antiquities museums specialize in more archaeological findings.

A common type of history museum is a historic house. A historic house can be a Stately home, the birthplace of a famous person or a house with an interesting history A historic house may be a building of special architectural interest, the birthplace or home of a famous person, or a house with an interesting history. Historic sites can also become museums, particularly those that mark public crimes, such as Tuol Sleng or Robben Island. A historic site is an official location where pieces of political military or social History have been preserved For relevant case law see Public order crime case law in the United States In Criminology public order crime is defined by Siegel (2004 The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is a museum in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Robben Island ( Afrikaans Robbeneiland) is an Island in Table Bay, some seven kilometres off the coast of the Cape Town bay South Another type of history museum is a living museum. An open air museum is a distinct type of Museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors A living museum is where people recreate a time period to the fullest extent, including buildings, clothes and language. It is similar to historical reenactment. "Reenactment" redirects here For the 1968 Romanian film see The Reenactment.

Maritime museums

Main article: Maritime museum

Maritime museums specialize in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on seas and lakes. A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a Museum specializing in the display of objects relating to Ships and travel on large bodies of water A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a Museum specializing in the display of objects relating to Ships and travel on large bodies of water A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size This article is about the body of water For other uses see SEA and Seas. A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the They may include a historic ship (or a replica) made accessible as a museum ship. For ships that are not original see Ship replica. For preserved incomplete ships see Ships preserved in museums.

Mobile museums

Mobile museum is a term applied to museums that make exhibitions from a vehicle, such as a van. Some institutions, such as St. Vital Historical Society and the Walker Art Center, use the term to refer to a portion of their collection that travels to sites away from the museum for educational purposes. The St Vital Historical Society is a mobile museum in Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada. This page is about the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Other mobile museums have no "home site", and use travel as their exclusive means of presentation.

Natural history museums

Museums of natural history and natural science typically exhibit work of the natural world. The National Museum of Natural History is a Natural history Museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of The focus lies on nature and culture. Exhibitions may educate the masses about dinosaurs, ancient history, and anthropology. Evolution, environmental issues, and biodiversity are major areas in natural science museums. Notable museums of this type include the Natural History Museum in London, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in Oxford, the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta, and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. The Natural History Museum is one of three large Museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Oxford University Museum of Natural History, sometimes known simply as the Oxford University Museum, is a Museum displaying many of the University of Oxford's Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle ( MNHN) is the French national Museum of Natural history. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of The National Museum of Natural History is a Natural history Museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The American Museum of Natural History ( AMNH) located on the Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York, USA is one of the largest and most The City of New York The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (commonly known as the Royal Tyrrell Museum) is a popular Canadian tourist attraction and a leading center of palaeontological Drumheller is a town (formerly a city on the Red Deer River in the Badlands of east-central Alberta, The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.

List of natural history museums

Open air museums

Main article: Open-air museum

Open air museums collect and re-erect old buildings at large outdoor sites, usually in settings of re-created landscapes of the past. An open air museum is a distinct type of Museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors The first one was King Oscar II's collection near Oslo in Norway, opened in 1881 and is now the Norsk Folkemuseum. Early life At his birth in Stockholm Oscar Frederik was created Duke of Östergötland. (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Norsk Folkemuseum, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History at Bygdøy in Oslo, has a large Open air museum. In 1891 Arthur Hazelius founded the Skansen in Stockholm, which became the model for subsequent open air museums in Northern and Eastern Europe, and eventually in other parts of the world. Artur Immanuel Hazelius ( 30 November 1833 &ndash 27 May 1901) Swedish teacher scholar and folklorist, founder of the Nordic Skansen is the first Open air museum and Zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Most open air museums are located in regions where wooden architecture prevail, as wooden structures may be translocated without substantial loss of authenticity. A more recent but related idea is realized in ecomuseums, which originated in France. Ecomuseums originated in France the concept being developed by George Henri Rivière and Hugues de Varine who coined the term ‘ecomusée’ in 1971 This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Science museums

Science museums and technology centers revolve around scientific marvels and their history. A science museum or a science centre is a Museum devoted primarily to Science. To explain complicated inventions, a combination of demonstrations, interactive programs and thought-provoking media are used. Some museums may have exhibits on topics such as computers, aviation, railway museums, physics, astronomy, and the animal kingdom. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them A railway museum is a Museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation including but not limited to Locomotives ( steam, Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Science museums, in particular, may consist of planetaria, or large theatre usually built around a dome. A planetarium is a Theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about Astronomy and the night sky or for training in Celestial navigation Museums may have IMAX feature films, which may provide 3-D viewing or higher quality picture. IMAX (short for Image MAXimum is a Film format created by Canada 's IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far greater size and See also [[stereoscopy]] In film the term 3-D (or 3D) is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images As a result, IMAX content provides a more immersive experience for people of all ages. Also new virtual museums, known as Net Museums, have been appearing. These are usually web sites belonging to real museums and containing photo galleries of items found in those real museums. This is very useful for people far away who wish to see the contents of these museums.

List of science museums

Specialized museums

A number of different museums exist to demonstrate a variety of topics. Music museums may celebrate the life and work of composers or musicians, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state Other music museums include live music recitals such as the Handel House Museum in London. The Handel House Museum at 25 Brook Street, in the exclusive central London district of Mayfair was the home of the German born baroque London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Museums targeted for the youth, such as children's museums in many parts of the world, often exhibit interactive and educational material on a wide array of topics. Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs that stimulate Informal learning experiences for Children. The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an institution of the sports category. The Corning Museum of Glass is devoted to the art, history, and science of glass. The Corning Museum of Glass grants permission to Wikipedia to include text from its website in the article below Glass in the common sense refers to a Hard, Brittle, transparent Solid, such as that used for Windows many Interpretation centres are modern museums or visitors centres that often use new means of communication with the public. An interpretation centre, or interpretive centre, is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or Cultural heritage.

Virtual museums

A recent development with the expansion of the web, is the establishment of virtual museums. The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web) is a system of interlinked Hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. A virtual museum is a Museum that exists only On-line, including but not limited to museums that hold object originally created digitally such as Net art While some have no counterpart in the real world, such as LIMAC (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Lima),^[10] which has no physical location and might be confused with the city's own museum, other online initiatives like the Virtual Museum of Canada^[11] provide physical museums with a web presence, as well as online curatorial platforms such as Rhizome. The Virtual Museum of Canada ( VMC) is Canada 's national Virtual museum. A curatorial platform is an organization whose principal activity is focused on the development and presentation of cultural artifacts according to clearly defined and coherent themes or ^[12] The art historian Griselda Pollock elaborated a virtual feminist museum, spreading between classical art to contemporary art. Griselda Pollock (born 1949) is a prominent art historian and cultural analyst and a world-renowned scholar of international post-colonial feminist studies in the Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate ^[13]

Zoos and Zoological Gardens

Main article: Zoo

Although zoos are not often thought of as museums, they are considered "living museums". A zoological garden, shortened to zoo, is an institution in which living animals are exhibited in captivity They exist for the same purpose as other museums: to educate, inspire action, study, and preserve a collection. Notable zoos include the Bronx Zoo in New York, London Zoo, the San Diego Zoo, Berlin Zoo, Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, Frankfurt Zoo, and Zoo Zurich in Switzerland. This article is about the zoo for the TV series see The Bronx Zoo (TV series; for the book "The Bronx Zoo" about the Yankees see Sparky Lyle, its New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous ZSL London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific Zoo. It was opened in London on April 27 1828, and was originally intended to be used The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest most progressive Zoos in the world with over 4000 animals The Berlin Zoological Garden (Zoologischer Garten Berlin is the oldest and internationally most well known zoo in Germany. Taronga Zoo is the city Zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation

Museum

Early museums began as the private collections of wealthy individuals, families or institutions of art and rare or curious natural objects and artifacts. In Archaeology, an artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human culture, and often one later recovered by some archaeological These were often displayed in so-called wonder rooms or cabinets of curiosities. For the 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child see The Cabinet of Curiosities For the 2008 Jane's Addiction box set see A Cabinet of Curiosities Public access was often possible for the "respectable", especially to private art collections, but at the whim of the owner and his staff.

The first public museums in the world opened in Europe during the 18th century and the Age of Enlightenment:

• the Amerbach Cabinet, originally a private collection, was bought by the university und city of Basel in 1661 and opend to the public in 1671. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century
• the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford is the oldest museum in the United Kingdom. The Ashmolean Museum (in full the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology) on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It opened in 1683 and the present building dates from 1845. ^[14]
• the Museo Sacro, the first museum in the Vatican Museums complex, was opened in Rome in 1756
• the British Museum in London, was founded in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759. The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are one of the greatest museums in the world since they display works The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are one of the greatest museums in the world since they display works Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[7] Sir Hans Sloan's personal collection of curios provided the initial foundation for the British Museum's collection. ^[7]
• the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, which had been open to visitors on request since the 16th century, was officially opened to the public 1765
• the Belvedere Palace of the Habsburg monarchs in Vienna opened with a collection of art in 1781

These "public" museums, however, were often accessible only by the middle and upper classes. The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi one of the oldest and most famous Art Museums in the world is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The Belvedere is a Baroque palace complex built by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 3rd district of Vienna, south-east of the city centre Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. It could be difficult to gain entrance. In London for example, prospective visitors to the British Museum had to apply in writing for admission. Even by 1800 it was possible to have to wait two weeks for an admission ticket. Visitors in small groups were limited to stays of two hours. In Victorian times in England it became popular for museums to be open on a Sunday afternoon (the only such facility allowed to do so) to enable the opportunity for "self improvement" of the other - working - classes. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities

The first truly public museum was the Louvre Museum in Paris, opened in 1793 during the French Revolution, which enabled for the first time in history free access to the former French royal collections for people of all stations and status. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The fabulous art treasures collected by the French monarchy over centuries were accessible to the public three days each "décade" (the 10-day unit which had replaced the week in the French Republican Calendar). The French Republican Calendar or French Revolutionary Calendar was a Calendar proposed during the French Revolution, and used by the French government The Conservatoire du muséum national des Arts (National Museum of Arts's Conservatory) was charged with organizing the Louvre as a national public museum and the centerpiece of a planned national museum system. As Napoléon I conquered the great cities of Europe, confiscating art objects as he went, the collections grew and the organizational task became more and more complicated. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. After Napoleon was defeated in 1815, many of the treasures he had amassed were gradually returned to their owners (and many were not). His plan was never fully realized, but his concept of a museum as an agent of nationalistic fervor had a profound influence throughout Europe.

American museums eventually joined European museums as the world's leading centers for the production of new knowledge in their fields of interest. A period of intense museum building, in both an intellectual and physical sense was realized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (this is often called "The Museum Period" or "The Museum Age"). While many American museums, both Natural History museums and Art museums alike, were founded with the intention of focusing on the scientific discoveries and artistic developments in North America, many moved to emulate their European counterparts in certain ways (including the development of Classical collections from ancient Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia and Rome). It is typically understood that universities took the place of museums as the centers for innovative research in the United States well before the start of the Second World War, however, museums to this day contribute new knowledge to their fields and continue to build collections that are useful for both research and display. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Controversies

There have been controversies recently regarding artifacts being damaged or being exposed to high risk of damage whilst on loan. For example, an ancient Egyptian stone lion on loan from the British Museum was being manually carried down a flight of stairs (as shown in a BBC Television documentary 2007). Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. The supervisor in charge advised the people carrying it if it starts to fall, let it drop. The irony is that these artifacts have been carefully excavated and transported, often thousands of miles, without damage. Once arriving at a museum the artifact usually does not receive the same level of care and attention that it received whilst being excavated and transported. Another example of this is the recent return of a Terracotta Army horse on loan from a museum in Rome, which showed the item to be damaged on return. The Terracotta Army ( are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 As yet, there is no internationally agreed protocol for a level or standard of care of artifacts on display or on loan from museums.

Like any institution dedicated to the memorialization of the past, museums play a substantial role in the construction of ideologies and identities, which is accomplished through a variety of means, though these typically pertain to the particular ways in which the past is put on public display.

Museums serve to homogenize our views of the past by the following means: 1. failing to account for matters of historical (or more accurately, historiographical) dispute; by not providing alternative viewpoints 2. by presenting the past in terms of a coherent, linear, unified narrative 3. by creating complex audio, visual and textual experiences, in which the observer is overwhelmingly confronted by the massive weight of all the physical evidence: the photos, the facts, the personal vignettes -- after being penetrated in such an intimate way by a holistic bodily experience, observers are then typically directed to gift shops, where they are likely encouraged to purchase books which can help to further reinforce the desired indoctrination of the museum's particular ideology 4. they present a view of history based entirely upon the romanticization of the achievements of great men, brilliant thinkers, cultural or scientific innovators, war heroes (and their technologies)

As is self-evident to the seasoned traveler, most national museums around the world adhere to the same basic structural patterns, whereby the past is divided up into a series of epochs, beginning with "prehistory," then passing through the ancient and medieval worlds until finally arriving at the nation's present. This view of the history is plainly teleological, which is to say that the past is depicted as a series of trends and developments which inevitably led to the present condition (i. e. the past could not have resulted in anything else).

The point is often under-emphasized by those who love museums that a sizable percentage of museum artifacts have been acquired unethically (if ethics are defined in a Kantian sense at least). The government of Egypt for instance has consistently pressed the British Museum in London to return the enormous hordes of pharaonic objects plundered by British (though not exclusively British) archaeologists during Britain's period of colonial administration in Egypt, which began officially in 1882 (while the end is just a matter of opinion).

The National Museum of Iraq was created during the British Mandate period through the efforts of colonial officer and Oriental Secretary of the short-lived British Mandate, Gertrude Bell. The National Museum of Iraq ( Arabic: المتحف العراقي) is a museum located in Baghdad, Iraq. Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell CBE ( July 14, 1868 – July 12, 1926) was a British writer traveller political analyst

Management

The museum is usually run by a director, who has a curatorial staff that cares for the objects and arranges their display. An executive director is the senior manager or Executive officer of an Organization, company, or Corporation. Large museums often will have a research division or institute, which are frequently involved with studies related to the museum's items, as well as an education department, in charge of providing interpretation of the materials to the general public. The director usually reports to a higher body, such as a governmental department or a board of trustees. Trustee is a Legal term that refers to a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary.

Objects come to the collection through a variety of means. Either the museum itself or an associated institute may organize expeditions to acquire more items or documentation for the museum. More typically, however, museums will purchase or trade for artifacts or receive them as donations or bequests.

For instance, a museum featuring Impressionist art may receive a donation of a Cubist work which simply cannot be fit into the museum's exhibits, but it can be used to help acquire a painting more central to the museum's focus. Impressionism was a 19th-century Art movement that began as a loose association of Paris -based Artists exhibiting their art publicly in the 1860s Cubism was a 20th century Avant-garde Art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European However, this process of acquiring objects outside the museum's purview in order to acquire more desirable objects is considered unethical by many museum professionals. Larger museums may have an "Acquisitions Department" whose staff is engaged full time for this purpose. Most museums have a collections policy to help guide what is and is not included in the collection.

Museums often cooperate to sponsor joint, often traveling, exhibits on particular subjects when one museum may not by itself have a collection sufficiently large or important. These exhibits have limited engagements and often depend upon an additional entry fee from the public to cover costs.

Museum exhibition design

The design of museums has evolved throughout history. Interpretive museums, as opposed to art museums, have missions reflecting curatorial guidance through the subject matter which now include content in the form of images, audio and visual effects, and interactive exhibits.

Some of these experiences have very few or no artifacts; the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, being notable examples where there are few artifacts, but have strong, memorable stories to tell or information to interpret. The National Constitution Center is a history museum on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just two blocks from the Liberty Bell Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Griffith Observatory is located in Los Angeles California, United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West In contrast, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC uses many artifacts in their memorable exhibitions. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a national institution located adjacent to The National Mall in Washington D Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D

Most mid-size and large museums employ design staff for graphic and environmental design projects, including exhibitions. In addition to traditional 2-D and 3-D designers and architects, these staff departments may include audio-visual specialists, software designers, audience research and evaluation specialists, writers, editors, and preparators or art handlers. These staff specialists may also be charged with supervising contract design or production services.

Notable commercial exhibition design firms include Ralph Appelbaum Associates, C&G Partners, ESI Design, Burdick Group, André & Associates Interpretation & Design Ltd. Widely acknowledged as the world's largest and preeminent Museum exhibition design firm Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA has offices in New York City, London Edwin Arthur Schlossberg (born July 19, 1945), Founder and Principal of ESI Design, is an internationally recognized Designer

See also

• List of museums
• List of notable museums and galleries
• List of transport museums
• Art museum
• Art gallery
• Muse
• Virtual Library museums pages
• International Council of Museums

References

Further reading

• Tony Bennett, The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics, Routledge, 1995.

External links

General:

• Museums Search MuseumStuff. com -- database of museum websites
• Museum News
• International Council of Museums (ICOM)
• International Council of African Museums (AFRICOM)
• The Art Museum Partnership
• The .museum top-level domain (Dot-museum)
• VLmp directory of museums
• Museums Wiki on Wikia
• World museums (collective gallery)
• MOLLI (Museum On-Line Learning Initiatives)
• A short history of Museums
• ICOM definition ICOM
• Global Directory of Jewish Museums
• Virtual museums (ARCO Center)
• Audioguide Seslirehber
• RARIN - Rights and Reproductions Information Network for Museum Professionals

Individual countries:

• Museums in Africa
• Museums in Argentina
• Museums in Belgium (Wallonia)
• Museums in Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Museums in Bulgaria
• Museums in Canada
• Museums in China
• Museums in Colombia
• Museums in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Museums in Estonia
• Museums in Finland
• Museums in France: Haute-Normandie (fr - en - de)
• Museums in Germany: Museumsbund
• Museums in Greece
• Museums in Peru
• Museums in Poland
• Museums in Russia
• Museums in Turkey
• Museums in the United Kingdom of Great Britain
• Museums in the United States of America: US Historical Museums Guide
• Museums in the United States of America: American Association of Museums

Wikia (originally Wikicities) is a selective Free web hosting service for Wikis (or Wiki farm) operated by Wikia Inc The International Council of Museums (ICOM is an international organization of Museums and museum professionals which is committed to the conservation continuation and communication

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