Museums
WHAT IS A MUSEUM?
American museums are infinitely diverse. The American Association of Museums (AAM) Code of Ethics for Museums notes that their common denominator is making a "unique contribution to the public by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the things of this world."
Generally, there are four kinds of musems:
- The art museum
- The children's museum
- The history museum
- The science museum
Within these four categories there are many different sizes and types, i.e., botanical, maritime, planetariums, etc.
Front view - Polk Museum of Art
Links
HOW MANY MUSEUMS ARE THERE IN THE US?
One of the attempts to count museums was a survey conducted for the National Conference of State Museum Associations in 1998. The survey counted 15,848 museums. This number, however, was extremely approximate. Some state museum associations reported the number of museum members of their association; other states provided an estimate of the total number of museums in their state.
HOW MANY MUSEUMS ARE THERE IN FLORIDA?
There are over 340 in Florida and 59 in Central Florida.
HOW MANY PEOPLE, ON AVERAGE, VISIT MUSEUMS?
A 1999 study by Lake, Snell & Perry reported that “American museums average approximately 865 million visits per year or 2.3 million visits per day.”
AAM’s 2006 Museum Financial Information survey found that the median annual attendance for different types of museums is as follows:
- Arboretum/Botanic Garden 106,235
- Art Museum 59,822
- Children’s/Youth Museum 78,500
- General Museum 43,500
- Historic House/Site 16,000
- History Museum 10,750
- Natural History/Anthropology 62,803
- Nature Center 52,850
- Science/Technology Museum 244,589
- Specialized Museum 20,000
- Zoo 440,502
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE AN ITEM TO SELL OR DONATE TO A MUSEUM
Begin by conducting some research to identify museums that have missions and collections that are related to the object. Each museum has a unique mission and develops a collection that will help it fulfill that mission and serve the public. Most museums maintain websites that include their missions and a description of the collections. Use a search engine to generate a list of potential museums.
In addition, Volume 2 of The Official Museum Directory (OMD) provides an index to museums in more than 70 categories, such as toy & doll museums, military museums, folk art museums, and entomology museums. The OMD is the most comprehensive directory of museums in the United States, with more than 8,300 entries. Some public and university libraries have The Official Museum Directory in their reference sections. The OMD is published by the National Register Publishing Company and may be ordered online.
Donors and sellers should keep in mind that a museum incurs legal, social, and ethical obligations to provide proper physical storage, management, and care for the collections and associated documentation, as well as proper intellectual control. Collections are held in trust for the public (both present and future generations) and made accessible for their benefit.
Because of these obligations and their financial impact, museums must be selective in what they add to their collections. A museum generally will accept an object only if it is free of all conditions and restrictions imposed by the donor or seller. Once an unrestricted title is transferred to the museum, the donor or seller relinquishes all rights to the object. The donor or seller has no say as to when or how the object is exhibited. Future generations have no claim in asking that the object be returned to the family.
How do I pursue a museum career or obtain training in museum studies?
The Smithsonian Institution’s Career Center has brief explanations of the duties and skills needed for a variety of museum jobs. The Smithsonian Institution's Center for Education and Museum Studies has a directory of university training programs in museum studies, historic preservation, public history, and nonprofit management.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides Career Guides that describe particular industries, working conditions, training, employment outlook, and earnings. Museums are included in 2 categories: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation and Archivists, Curators & Museum Technicians.
Reading the job ads in AAM’s Job HQ will provide an understanding of the education, experience, and skills that museums are requiring for specific jobs.
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