Museum Studies

Resources related to museum studies or relevant to museum professionals.

Resources in this category:

The American Association of Museums
http://www.aam-us.org/

³Founded in 1906, the American Association of Museums (AAM) is dedicated to promoting excellence within the museum community. Through advocacy, professional education, information exchange, accreditation, and guidance on current professional standard s of performance, AAM assists museum staff, boards, and volunteers across the country to better serve the public.² The site includes information regarding membership, publications and periodicals, technical services, assessment programs, advertising opportunities and benefits.

American Federation of Arts
http://www.afaweb.org/

"The American Federation of Arts (AFA), a not-for-profit organization, develops and travels art exhibitions and educational, professional, and technical support programs in collaboration with the art museum community. Established by an act of Congress in 1909, the AFA is the oldest and most comprehensive organization of its kind, serving 550 museum members. "Aside from exhibitions, the AFA provides an array of programs and services for art museums. Visit programs for information about professional development opportunities and services for details on low-cost fine arts insurance and transportation, AFA's Technical Assistance Program, and room rentals for special events."

International Council of Museums
http://icom.museum/

"ICOM is devoted to the promotion and development of museums and the museum profession at an international level." The site has a directory of museums around the world with a web presence.

Museum Documentation Association
http://www.mda.org.uk/

3The Museum Documentation Association (MDA) is funded by the MGC to encourage best practice in all aspects of museum documentation. This task has many aspects, and perhaps the simplest way to understand it is to say that we do for documentation what the MGC does for a broader range of museum issues. Firstly we raise awareness of the importance of documentation. New collections and new displays may be more fun, but any object is the poorer without the associated information which tells its story. Likewise, if you can't find it, or can't tell others that you have it, or when you last conserved it, or can't say for sure that you own it, then curatorial effectiveness is, at best, diminished.2 This site has links to information re: standards, services, outreach, and other related web sites.

Museums Association of Great Britain
http://www.museumsassociation.org/

"The Museums Association is a charity, and is dedicated to the improvement of standards and the advancement of the status of staff and institutions. It¹s annual conference is the biggest single event in the museum community¹s calendar, and the MA¹s seminars have established a reputation for quality. Places at conferences and seminars are heavily discounted for Museums Association members." This web page contains information on the association, membership, news, jobs, publications, and debates within the association.

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/

This website contains information about Pennsylvania history, historical societies, and museums about Pennsylvania. "As the offical agency of the Commonwealth for the conservation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage, the powers and duties of the Commission fall into these principal fields; care of historical manuscripts, public records, and objects of historic interest; museums; archaeology; publications; historic sites and properties; historic preservation; geographic names; and the promotion of public interest in Pennsylvania history."

The Smithsonian
http://www.si.edu/

The Smithsonian site gives you information on how to become a National or Resident associate of the Museum. It includes information about The Smithsonian Magazine, study tours and seminars, regional events and discounts available.

Texas Association of Museums
http://www.io.com/~tam/

"Mission statement: The Texas Association of Museums is dedicated to fostering educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities for all Texans. It accomplishes this, through service to its members, by providing a communications network, sponsoring educational programs, and encouraging adherence to professional standards and practices. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established for educational purposes, the Texas Association of Museums (TAM) represents over 260 museums and 600 individuals throughout Texas and across the nation. The largest state museum association in the nation, TAM provides a network among museums, improves the level of professionalism within the museum community, increases the use and enjoyment of museums by the public, and serves as an information clearinghouse about museums." This web page has information on memberships, publications, meetings, workshops, and a history of the association. There is also information on how to contact them or museums in the Texas area.

American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
http://aic.stanford.edu/

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) is the national membership organization of conservation professionals dedicated to preserving the art and historic artifacts of our cultural heritage for future generations. Site includes information on conservation and disaster recovery, membership, publications, meetings and conferences and grants.

International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections
http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/cimcim/

CIMCIM (Comité International des Musées et Collections d'Instruments de Musique) is one of "25 international committees of ICOM, the International Council of Museums, and was established in 1960... to promote high professional standards in the use and conservation of musical instruments in museums and collections." The site provides some collection links, and a large file of technical drawings of instruments in members' collections.