THE responsibilities of a museum are threefold: to safeguard for present and future generations the material evidence of man’s contributions to the progress of the world, to conduct research in the many fields represented by these objects, and to interpret the collections in such a manner that they will be of interest to all who come in contact with them.
The Museum’s exhibitions are arranged for both beauty and usefulness, its programs are planned to supplement its collections, and its facilities are made available to all who wish to use them whether scholar or layman, adult or child. Its galleries afford the opportunity of becoming better acquainted with the backgrounds of peoples of the world, thus fostering a greater understanding of and tolerance for national differences today. They also offer relaxation in the aesthetic enjoyment of some of the finest art treasures of history, as well as an opportunity of acquiring firsthand information on the widest variety of subjects.
The exhibition halls and storerooms are filled with objects dug from the sites of ancient cities and collected from the vanishing races of mankind. The University Museum’s own expeditions in all parts of the world have brought together treasures that make it one of the foremost institutions of its kind in the world. Its research men are constantly contributing scientific information to help piece together the fascinating story of man from his appearance long before the dawn of history. Its Educational Department endeavors to give service to the public through furthering enjoyment of the collections or assisting in acquiring knowledge of a general or specialized nature. Many and varied have been the ways in which it has accomplished its results-some bad and some good, some discarded and some continued, but always with an experimental attitude of flexibility and cooperation. It is the public that leads with its desires and requests, while the Educational Department attempts to find a means of satisfying these demands. Its function is to serve in whatever manner is most effective. The following pages tell in words and pictures some of the many channels into which its activities have branched.