John E. Simmons

eBook, PDF

Museums (eBook, PDF)

A History

Beschreibung

This comprehensive history of museums begins with the origins of collecting in prehistory and traces the evolution of museums from grave goods to treasure troves, from the Alexandrian Temple of the Muses to the Renaissance cabinets of curiosities, and onto the diverse array of modern institutions worldwide. The development of museums as public institutions is explored in the context of world history with a special emphasis on the significance of objects and collecting. The book examines how the successful exportation of the European museum model and its international adaptations have created public institutions that are critical tools in diverse societies for understanding the world. Rather than focusing on a specialized aspect of museum history, this volume provides a comprehensive synthesis of museums worldwide from their earliest origins to the present. Museums: A History tells the fascinating story of how museums respond to the needs of the cultures that create them. Readers will come away with an understanding of: the comprehensive history of museums from prehistoric collections to the presentthe evolution of museums presented in the context of world historythe development of museums considered in diverse cultural contextsglobal perspective on museumsthe object-centered history of museumsmuseums as memory institutionsA constant theme throughout the book is that museums have evolved to become institutions in which objects and learning are associated to help human beings understand the world around them. Illustrations amplify the discussions.

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Autor

John E. Simmons (BA, Systematics & Ecology; MA, Museum Studies) has worked in museums for more than 50 years. He began his career as a zoo keeper before becoming collections manager at the California Academy of Sciences and later at the Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas, where he also served as Director of the Museum Studies Program until 2007. He is the recipient of the Superior Voluntary Service Award from the American Association of Museums (2001), the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Mentoring of Graduate Students from the University of Kansas (2005), the Carolyn L. Rose Award for Outstanding Commitment to Natural History Collections and Management from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (2011), the Dudley-Wilkinson Award of Distinction from the Registrars Committee of the American Alliance of Museums (2016), and the Spiritus Award for Excellence in Service and Management of Herpetological and Ichthyological Collections from American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (2019). John has published more than 150 papers and several books, including Cuidado, Manejo y Conservación de las Colecciones Biológicas (2005, with Yaneth Munoz-Saba), Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference (2014), Foundations of Museum Studies: Evolving Systems of Knowledge (2014, with Kiersten Latham), Herpetological Collecting and Collections Management (3rd edition, 2015), Museums: A History (2016), Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies (2nd edition, 2017), the chapter on "Collections Management: History, Theory, and Practice" in The International Handbook of Museum Studies (2015), Best Practices in the Preservation and Management of Fluid-Preserved Biological Collections (with Dirk Neumann, Julian Carter, and Oliver Crimmen), and he edited the 6th edition of Museum Registration Methods in 2020 (with Toni Kiser). John's research interests include the conservation of natural history and anatomical specimens, the history of museums, and the development of sustainable collections management practices. John currently runs Museologica museum consulting and teaches museology workshops and university classes.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury eBooks US
• Seitenzahl: 1
• Erscheinungstermin: 7. Juli 2016
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9798881865092
• Artikelnr.: 74848054