This paper proposes that a general framework of moral education, namely Thomas Green's "voices of conscience" can provide a starting point for exploring the role of moral education in museums. The first part of the paper summarizes Green's framework and discusses how that framework can be applied to education in museums. The second part…

This annotated bibliography of materials in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, National Postal Museum Branch, is intended to promote the study of Colonial American postal service in the library. It focuses on postal service in the European settlements that became the United States. The first section lists 38 books, and the second sections…

This sourcebook prepares students for a visit to the "Prehistoric Journey" exhibit at the Denver Museum of Natural History. The exhibit opened October 23, 1995, and offered a dramatic exploration of 3.5 billion years of life on Earth. Dioramas and "enviroramas" depict seven critical points in life's history. In addition to the chronological…

Designed to help teachers plan focused field trips, this guide was developed by the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois, and parts of it focus specifically on the Field Museum. The overall thrust of the guide, however, is on helping educators to better utilize museums in general; the guide should prove helpful to any teacher…

Many educators look upon schools as the exclusive site at which meaningful learning can take place. Those educators would benefit from seeing the possibilities offered by non-school environments. This paper argues that the museum is a full-fledged educational institution, and focuses on how the museum may be seen as a site for the inquiries of…

Lesson plans for secondary teachers based on documents and objects found in the Hershey Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania comprise the document. The Museum seeks to make its resources available to teachers who are not able to bring their students from the classroom to the Museum. Photocopied reproductions of the documents are provided for the…

The major research question addressed by the "Exhibit Development Survey 1986" was whether major American museums were using the instructional development process to develop their exhibits. Approximately 24% of all major American museums representing a broad cross section of museum types responded to the survey. Their responses indicate that the…

This report summarizes the findings of a research project involving a consortium of American art museums that joined forced to understand themselves better from the perspective of their visitors. The project had three objectives: (1) to identify staff expectations and impressions of public expectations about art museums; (2) to evaluate public…

Although logotherapy has been generally seen as a therapeutic technique, its usefulness in other areas cannot be underestimated. This paper examines museum education from a theoretical "logos" perspective and from a practical application of effective museum utilization for students. While museums will never replace schools in the formal…

This directory lists institutions holding original source material for the history of oceanography, dating from 1600 to 1950. These materials include apparatus, collections of geological and biological samples and specimens, data, documents and written archives, and photographs. For each institution (listed by country), the directory gives name,…

Since the last comprehensive museum survey was conducted in 1971-72, no current data has been gathered about the museum field. Because the field has not remained static it has become difficult to apply the 1971-72 survey findings to current museum situations. Because of this, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was requested to…

Increased attention to the importance of the arts in general education demands that we carefully define what we mean by "art" when we argue that it should be included in the school curriculum. Education in the arts has traditionally meant education in the making of art, but while only a few students will go on to produce artistically in…

A national study, mandated by the U.S. Congress and undertaken by the Institute of Museum Services, was completed to determine: (1) the nature and level of federal support for museums; (2) the areas in which federal support overlaps or is inadequate; (3) the impact of this institute in achieving its goals; and (4) the impact and status of…

Descriptions of 93 museum collections and exhibit centers in the United States and Canada are provided. Entries are grouped into four categories: (1) air and space, (2) natural history, (3) science and technology, and (4) special topics museums. Within each category the museums have in turn been broken down into major ones (which have lengthy…

The purpose of this document is to assist museum personnel in developing appropriate exhibits, materials, and teaching procedures to ensure an exciting and informative museum experience for students. Objectives for the museum experience as well as ways to meet these objectives are presented. Sections of the booklet discuss: (1) presentation of…