The Museum is seductive. Perhaps because it does not employ compulsion, but woos the learner with artful wiles, it continues to deceive him into educating himself as long as he lives. The vital role of museums as learning centers was clearly articulated by Lynn Cheney, when she was Chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities. She urged museums to confront their central role as community centers of learning. To be an effective community center of learning, a museum must have a clear educational commitment.
Museums have a number of challenges as public centers of learning.
Museums must recognize how they differ from classrooms. First and foremost, museums have no entrance requirement, and visitors do not have to complete a particular level of education or a particular course to enter the museum to learn. Moreover, a museum is a place of self-directed learning rather than directed learning. There is no teacher to lead the student through the museum curriculum. While it is true that museums have programs and volunteers to augment exhibits, the exhibit is our primary teaching method.