The boro of Queens in New York City may become the first location to have an art museum with a full-sized branch library inside. Boards for both organizations are currently in talks to approve the proposal, and if all goes according to plan, the completed structure will open in 2010. The Museum is currently housed in a building built in 1939 for the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Story from the New York Daily News.
Museums
Darwin collection at Natural History Museum
Anonymous Patron writes “The largest, most comprehensive collection of books by and about Charles Darwin has been bought by the Natural History Museum, London. Known as the Kohler Darwin Collection, it includes almost everything Darwin published from 1829 onwards.
Highlights of the collection include:
* first edition of On the Origin of Species presentation copy and the accompanying handwritten letter Darwin sent to W B Tegetmeier, a poultry expert, pigeon fancier and naturalist who helped Darwin with his studies
* a rare copy of Zoology of the Voyage of HMS Beagle, bound in original cloth in three volumes
* 470 different editions of On the Origin of Species in 28 languages plus Braille, which is more editions than have ever previously been brought together
Purple Heart Museum Debut in NYC – Seeking Stories
search-engines-web writes “…there are up to 1.7 million soldiers who belong on the list. So they’re putting out a call: If you or a family member has been awarded the Purple Heart, they want you. More precisely, they want your information for the most comprehensive list of American military sacrifice.”
Institute of Museum and Library Services Announces Reorganization
Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, director of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, announced a reorganization of the agency’s staff today. The reorganization will enable the Institute to align management and program efforts to more effectively demonstrate results and meet national needs.
“Lifelong learning is essential to success in a knowledge age and lifelong learning is what libraries and museums are all about,†noted Dr. Radice. “The Institute of Museum and Library Services has a big mission: to build the capacity of libraries and museums to create and sustain a nation of learners. The agency has the imagination, the leadership and the resources to bring together its constituents and partners to realize this vision. We need an efficient, effective, results oriented management structure at the Institute to support this big idea.â€
More…
NYPL Digital Gallery: 2006 Museums & the Web A
Anonymous Patron writes “NYPL Digital Gallery was recently chosen winner in the Best Research Site category at the annual Best of the Web competition held by Museums and the Web, “the international conference for culture and heritage online.” An international panel of museum professionals selects winners each year from nominated sites in categories such as On-line Exhibition, Education, and Research. Web sites nominated in the Best Research Site category “support research on … collections and provide excellent resources for researchers from any discipline.”
What the judges said about NYPL Digital Gallery:
A rich information portal with wide ranging content available for easy use by the researcher, student and/or casual viewer.Huge amount of information… Not only is the depth of content superb, the functionality of the search engine is exemplary.
This is a fascinating site that is easily searched and makes a wealth of information instantly available.
Past winners in this category include the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Timeline
of Art History, Tate Online, and the
Theban Mapping Project.
US Art Museums Debut Cell Phone Tours
Search Engines Web writes “museums in Los Angeles, Berkeley, Calif., Tacoma, Wash., Minneapolis and Greenwich, CT have begun offering cell phone tours, mostly for free. Dozens more are in the process of implementing the service.
Attendance still declining at Hoover, Ford museums
One From The Associated Press says The legacy of Herbert Hoover isn’t peaking the interest of many Iowans these days. Nor is Gerald Ford’s among Michiganians.
Attendance at the Hoover Presidential Library-Museum has declined by almost half since the late 1980s, and the museum’s director is seeking ways to regain the attention of Iowa’s youth.
Video games and documentaries are among the ideas museum staff are considering to bolster traffic in this eastern Iowa city; the birthplace of the only Iowa-born U.S. president.
Museum of African-American History Site
Kathleen writes “The Smithsonian Institution selected a prominent space on the Mall near the Washington Monument as the site of its National Museum of African-American History and Culture. [Monday, January 30, 2006].
For links to other African American Museums see the Association of African American Museums. “
Philippine Libraries as Museums?
Filipino Librarian writes “Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, a world-renowned marine scientist, says that, “Unfortunately, most Philippine libraries are like museums–you can see but you cannot touch.” This is really sad, but I can’t really say that it’s not true. More…”
IMLS Releases National Report on Status of Museums’ Data Collection
kathleen writes “With the reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act in September 2003, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was charged with increased analysis of museum and library trends and needs. As one step in developing a plan to
implement this new charge, IMLS requires a regular report on the status of data collection about the nation’s museums. The most recent IMLS report was completed in 1998. In the summer of 2004, the IMLS asked McManis & Monsalve Associates to update this report. This new study examines the status of museum data sources produced between 1999 and 2004 and projected through 2006. It includes a comprehensive listing of the information sources that meet the selection criteria, and assesses the general strengths and weaknesses regarding the status of museum data, with a particular emphasis on the national perspective. Full report is available as a pdf file.”
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