This document introduces the national initiative YouthALIVE (Youth Achievement through Learning, Involvement, Volunteering, and Employment). The YouthALIVE program focuses on the needs of children of color from low-income communities and provides financial and technical assistance to science centers, zoos, botanical gardens, and museums for the…

The distinction between formal education and museums and science centers has become less obvious over time as museums meet more needs of schools. This study examines two different cultures in the form of the school/museum partnership. The objective of the study was to identify the points at which two institutions, schools and museums, could merge…

If museums and libraries are to compete for both public and private funds in an accountability-driven environment, they must develop evaluation practices that provide the most compelling picture of the impact of their services. The two essays in this document present clear arguments for the adoption of a specific approach to evaluation known as…

This paper documents and explores the methodology employed by the developers of the Euro.Network.Hats project--a CD-ROM and Web site exploring the hatting and millinery industry in Europe, particularly the development and decline of European felt hat manufacture. The Stockport Hat Museum approached the International Center for Digital Content…

This paper presents a vision of digital technology for the museum as a dynamic connection-making tool that defines new genres and enables new experiences of existing works. The following media-rich interactive installations and performances developed at the HyperMedia Studio, a digital media research unit in the UCLA (University of California Los…

This paper began as an attempt to clarify and classify the development of Web3D environments from 1995 to the present. In that process, important facts came to light. A large proportion of these sites were virtual galleries and museums. Second, these same environments covered a wide array of architectural interpretations and represented some of…

This museum study advances knowledge on science teacher learning that takes place outside of the formal institution or college and describes the types of collaboration and resource sharing that are required to do so. A case study documents a "curriculum for teachers" initiative that evolved out of current science education reform. It highlights a…

This study examines what children learn about animals. The mental models that children reveal through their talk when they are faced with several different types of representations are reviewed. These representations are provided by robotic models in a museum, preserved animals in a museum, and preserved animals borrowed from a museum and…

This paper supplements a previous paper that reported on a tour of leading U.S. research libraries that are investing significantly in and have significant experience with innovative online collections and services. The previous paper reported the following five key challenges: architectural and technical; standards and best practices; strategies…

This paper establishes a classification for the different types of ephemeral publications that are common in museums (e.g., educational, commercial, internal). To this purpose, it sets forth an elementary system of automated technical treatment that provides a secure system for storage, retrieval, and diffusion of this data by using MARC format in…

Information about Arizona's history, government, and state capitol is organized into two sections. The first section presents a timeline of Arizona history from the prehistoric era to 1992. Brief descriptions of the state's entrance into the Union and the city of Phoenix as the selection for the State Capitol are discussed. Details are given about…

Describes the polywater exhibit at the Worcester Science Center in Massachusetts. Curiosity and interest are stimulated in young people by allowing them to handle the materials in the exhibit and by providing them with instructions for making polywater. (JR)

Collecting, utilizing, and displaying old or antique items will give elementary children some firsthand experience of how people in the past lived, what they worked with, and the progress of their industrial development. Using brainstorming, interviews with senior citizens, resource people, and classroom demonstrations are suggested techniques.…

Discusses the emphases that science and technology museums give to ethics and values issues and issues related to these museums as policy tools. Includes a brief classification of museums, the philosophical/practical dichotomy between these models as seen in two recent books, and major influences on science museums. (JN)

A teacher's guide to affordable field trips with tips on where to go, what to do once the class arrives, and how to cut costs with careful planning is provided. Suggestions include: local must-touch museums; miniexhibits in the class; in-school excursions; and invite-an-expert seminars. Related writing activities are also listed. (JMK)