Museum

A museum is a building which is open to the public. It is also the institution where things are collected and then shown to people. History The word, museum, originates from Musa which is the goddesses of literature, art, and science who appears in Greek mythology. According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the definition of museums has changed over time. The oldest museum structure in the world is the Shōsō-in in Nara, Japan. Today's museums are non-profit, permanent institutions in the service of society and its development. Function A museum acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible heritage and the intangible heritage of humanity and the environment. Museums exist for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment. Some museums have things that visitors can do. For example, ecomuseums exist. Museums can be about different things such as art, national history, natural history, or science. People go to museums sometimes to learn, or to simply have fun. Museums with live animals are called zoos. Exhibitions Temporary or changing exhibits Exhibition which selects works along with some themes, e.g., a writer, a time, an area, etc. Permanent exhibits Exhibition which displays the works which the museum possesses. Gallery Art museums History museums Literature museums Natural history museums Open air museums Science museums Museum ships Related pages Curator Museology References Further reading Simon, Nina K. (2010). Simon, Nina K. (2010). The Participatory Museum. Other websites International Council of Museums website Virtual Library Musems website Archived 2012-12-12 at the Wayback Machine Museum at the Open Directory Project