Museums came about from the human desire to preserve cultural identity; gain social, political, and economic status; and pursue knowledge. The oldest museum still in existence is believed to be Shoso House at the Todai Temple in Nara, Japan. Many of the famous European museums began during the Renaissance as private collections.
There are museums to cover subjects ranging from art
to toys, books to sports, etc. The well-known Smithsonian
Institute of Washington, D.C. consists of 19 museums
and nine research centers covering subjects ranging from
aviation to animals, portraits to postage, and Native
Americans to natural history.
Web Sites
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for:
- Museums
- Museums – Children's Fiction
- Smithsonian Institution
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
Databases
Enter Museums AND Art or Museums AND Travel in these databases: