Museums of Natural History

Museums of Natural History
Name	Museums of Natural History
Established	varies
Type	Natural history museum
Collection size	varies
Visitors	varies

Museums of Natural History

Museums of Natural History are institutions that collect, preserve, research, and exhibit specimens of Charles Darwin-era natural science, linking public display with scholarly inquiry. Major institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, and Royal Ontario Museum anchor international networks alongside regional centers like the Field Museum, Berlin's Museum für Naturkunde, National Museum of Natural History (France), and Natural History Museum of Denmark. They intersect with organizations including the International Council of Museums, Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, International Union for Conservation of Nature, UNESCO, and universities such as University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and University of California, Berkeley.

History and development

The development of Museums of Natural History traces from cabinet collections of figures like Sir Hans Sloane, Carl Linnaeus, Alexander von Humboldt, Georges Cuvier, and Joseph Banks to public institutions created during the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. Early models include the British Museum and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, while nineteenth-century expansion was driven by collectors associated with expeditions led by James Cook, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, and patrons such as the Rockefeller family and Andrew Carnegie. Twentieth-century transformations were influenced by events like World War II, funding shifts from bodies like the Smithsonian Institution board and national ministries exemplified by the Ministry of Culture (France), and modern museum practices codified by the International Council of Museums and legislation in countries including the United States and United Kingdom.

Collections and exhibits

Collections span paleontology with holdings from Tyrannosaurus rex specimens and Archaeopteryx, botany with herbarium sheets linked to Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Dalton Hooker, zoology featuring taxidermy influenced by John James Audubon and entomology amassed by collectors like Alfred Russel Wallace. Exhibits mix mounted specimens from the Field Museum and American Museum of Natural History with dioramas pioneered at institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London and interactive displays developed in collaboration with companies like Tate Modern and technology partners including Google Arts & Culture. Traveling exhibitions often involve loans between the Smithsonian Institution, Museu de História Natural de Lisboa, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Spain), and the Australian Museum. Special collections include type specimens curated under nomenclatural codes referenced by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and genetic repositories coordinated with initiatives like the Global Genome Biodiversity Network.

Research and scientific roles

Museums function as research centers producing taxonomy, systematics, paleobiology, and biogeography research tied to universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and agencies like the National Science Foundation and Natural Environment Research Council. Scientists working in museums publish in journals including Nature, Science, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, and collaborate on projects like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Barcode of Life Data Systems, and the International Barcode of Life project. Collections underpin work on climate change documented in studies involving Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, conservation partnerships with the IUCN Red List, and repatriation science interfacing with legal frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol.

Education, outreach, and public programs

Public programming ranges from permanent halls at the Natural History Museum, London and American Museum of Natural History to school partnerships with districts like New York City Department of Education and university outreach through University of California, Berkeley extension. Educational initiatives are coordinated with bodies such as the National Science Teachers Association, funding from foundations like the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust, and media collaborations with broadcasters like the BBC, PBS, and streaming producers including Netflix. Community engagement projects have involved indigenous collaborations with groups such as the Māori iwi, First Nations communities, and organizations like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act implementation teams.

Architecture, curation, and conservation

Architectural landmarks include the Victorian design of the Natural History Museum, London, the Beaux-Arts of the American Museum of Natural History, the modernist Berlin Museum für Naturkunde building, and adaptive reuse projects like the Royal Ontario Museum redesign by Daniel Libeskind. Curatorial practice draws on standards from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections and conservation science informed by institutions such as the Getty Conservation Institute and techniques described in publications by the International Institute for Conservation. Ex situ conservation links museums to botanical gardens like the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, seed banks like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, and captive breeding programs coordinated with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Governance, funding, and ethics

Governance models range from government-funded agencies like the Smithsonian Institution to municipal institutions such as the Chicago Park District-supported Field Museum, and private foundations including the Carnegie Corporation and Rockefeller Foundation. Funding mixes public grants from bodies like the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Science Foundation with philanthropy from donors such as the Wellcome Trust and ticket revenue from tourist hubs like London and New York City. Ethical issues encompass repatriation debates linked to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, provenance controversies involving colonial-era collections challenged by countries including Ghana and Benin, and open-data initiatives exemplified by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and institutional policies adopted by the International Council of Museums.

Category:Museums