Title: Museum Content: A museum is a buildingAlexander, Edward Porter et al. (2008). Museums in Motion: an Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums, p. 2; excerpt, "Douglas Alan, former director of the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, said that 'a museum in its simplest form consists of a building to house collections of objects for inspection, study and enjoyment." which is open to the public.International Council of Museums (ICOM), "Museum Definition" ; retrieved 2012-6-26. It is also the institution where things are collected and then shown to people.Alexander, p. 2; excerpt, "The American Association of Museums ... defines 'a museum as an organized and permanent non-profit institution ... which organizes or utilizes tangible objects, cares for them, and exhibits them to the public on some regular schedule." ==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.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Museums" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 671-672. 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 heritageMiyagi Prefecture, 文化財財案内 (Cultural heritage guide); excerpt, tangible objects include "arts and crafts, ... historical documents, textiles, swords, sculpture, paintings, houses, temples and shrines" ; retrieved 2012-6-27. and the intangible heritageMiyagi, 文化財財案内; excerpt, "intangible cultural heritage is 'human technology', such as the process of traditional Japanese sword training, traditional Japanese dyeing and weaving, traditional Japanese theater like Kabuki and Noh" ; retrieved 2012-6-27. 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=== File:NSWAG.jpg|The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia File:Morohashi Museum of Modern Art.JPG|Morohashi Museum of Modern Art in Fukushima ===History museums=== File:Tohoku-history-museum.JPG|The Tōhoku History Museum in Miyagi ===Literature museums=== File:Koriyama Museum of Literature1.jpg|Koriyama Museum of Literature in Fukushima is the former home of Masao Kume ===Natural history museums=== File:Natural-history- museum.jpg|The American Museum of Natural History in New York ===Open air museums=== File:New Lanark buildings 2009.jpg|New Lanark is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Lanarkshire, Scotland File:Shimizudani Refinery Ruins at Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine 001.jpg|Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine is a World Heritage Site in Shimane Prefecture, Japan ===Science museums=== File:MUSHITEC WORLD FUKUSHIMA.jpg|Mushitec in Fukushima is about insects ===Museum ships=== File:Cutty Sark 2012 landscaping.JPG|Cutty Sark in London, England File:Nippon maru.JPG|Nippon Maru in Yokohama harbor File:Wały Chrobrego4.JPG|National Museum, Szczecin, Poland ==Related pages== *Museology