"California Museums Can Help California Schools"

Just read a new post by John H. Eger on Huffington Post about a new initiative to bring museums, schools, and libraries into a closer partnership to improve education:

The Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS), which serves as the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums, launched a "21st century skills" initiative assessment tool worth looking at. 

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The IMLS said it all and said it best in their report. "The relationship between libraries, museums, and their communities is at a critical intersection. There has never been a greater need for libraries and museums to work with other organizations in effectively serving our communities; there has never been a more rapid period of change affecting museums, libraries, and their communities; and there has never been a more challenging period of economic dislocation facing the people in our communities. "

 Sounds like a worthwhile idea.  Hope to see more on this.

Grand Canyon Museums

We visited 3 of the museums located at the Grand Canyon.  Kolb's Photography Studio, perched on the edge of the rim, chronicles the work of the Kolb brothers, pioneer photographers of the Grand Canyon.  The entrance to this museum brings visitors straight to the gift shop; in the back of the shop, a large picture window opens up a perfect view of the canyon.  Small alcoves also feature photographic equipment from the Kolb brothers' era, along with some of their prints and photos of their customers.

View of basement floor from top of stairs

Downstairs, visitors find a more comprehensive archeological and natural history museum.  Pottery, photos of archeological sites, and information about the early inhabitants of the canyon cover the robin's-egg-blue walls.  In one corner, a small screen can be started to play video footage of the Grand Canyon

The room seems to double as a sort of community center; when the wind made it impossible for  for the rangers to present their informative talk on condor re-introduction in the Grand Canyon, they moved it to this room.

From the National Park Service website:

Visit the free art exhibits in the auditorium, and shop in the bookstore. 
 Kolb Studio is located in the Village Historic District at the Bright Angel trailhead.
Open daily 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Tusayan Museum

Artifact display inside museum

The Tusayan Museum building was small, but the most interesting part of the collection was outside.  The inside was fairly dark and intimate, and had exhibits featuring artifacts and timelines, but several trails on the grounds of the museum provided a first-hand look at the types of habitats, food, and activities of the early inhabitants.  The trail makes a pleasant walk, and the posted signs explain the significance of the surroundings and the reconstructed gathering places for the early inhabitants.

From the National Park Service Website:

The Tusayan Museum  is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is located 3 miles (5 km) west of Desert View.

Free admission.

 

Yavapai Geology Museum

 The Yavapai Geology Museum is the largest of the museums we visited here.Originally an observation station, it still features a back wall devoted to views of the Grand Canyon.  In 2007, the building was opened as a museum dedicated to geology.  Visual and interactive exhibits explain geological formations and the concept of "deep time" to help visitors understand the magnitude of the time it takes for geological formations to develop and change.

Cutaway view of the South Rim wall

Another exhibit covers the contributions of scientists and naturalists who explored and studied the geology of the area.  The central exhibit, the geological wall, seems to be featured in all the news stories and reviews of the museum.  Visitors can look at the cutaway representation of the geological layers from several different angles to get a clearer understanding of how the walls of the canyon were formed.  

One of the observation windows features a quotation from President Theodore Roosevelt etched in the glass:

"Do nothing to mar its grandeur, for the ages have been at work upon it.  Keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you."

The Yavapai Geology museum is open daily 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Does the Smithsonian have the right to charge for use of its images?

Currently, the Smithsonian (which celebrated its 165th birthday on August 10th) charges fees for any reproduction or use of  images from its collections.  Carl Malamud of Sebastapol, CA, argues that it doesn't have the authority to do so, since government agencies are not allowed to copyright work produced with public money.

Malamud thinks Americans should have similarly free access to reproduce, alter and distribute public-domain images found in the Smithsonian's collection.

“They have these wonderful collections that any teacher should be able to use, or any filmmaker, or any small business,” he said. “It would help spur education, economic activity, and it's just the right thing to do.”

So Malamud went to Washington last week where he met with lawmakers to discuss the issue.

 Teachers and students are among those expected to pay  for using images from the Smithsonian collection for reports and class plans.  If Malamud succeeds, the images will be available free of charge for everyone.