Stephen E. Weil has long been considered one of the museum community's most insightful (and frequently wittiest) commentators. In this volume of twenty-nine recent essays, his overarching concern is that museums be able to "earn their keep" -- that they make themselves matter -- in an environment of potentially shrinking resources. Museums matter, according to Weil, when their staff's traditional object-related skills are directed towards enriching both the individual lives and the general well-being of the communities they serve. What makes museums so special, he says, is the varied ways in which they may choose to perform that service. Museums have the potential to kindle individual ambition, to strengthen community ties, to stimulate inquiry, to impart knowledge, to provide aesthetic experiences, and ever so much more. Also included in this collection are reflections on the special qualities of art museums, an investigation into the relationship of current copyright law to the visual arts, a detailed consideration of how the museums and legal system of the United States have coped with the problem of Nazi-era art, and a series of delightfully provocative training exercises for those anticipating entry into the museum field.

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.

This book recovers the significant contribution made by women to museums, not just in obvious roles such as workers, but also as donors, visitors, volunteers and patrons. It suggests that women persistently acted to domesticate the museum, by importing domestic objects and domestic regimes ofvalue, as well as by making museums more welcoming to children, and even by stressing the importance of housekeeping at the museum. At the same time, women sought "masculine" careers in science and curatorship, but found such aspirations hard to achieve; their contribution tended to be kept withinclear, feminised areas.The book will be of interest to those working on gender, culture, or museums in the period. It sheds new light on women's material culture and material strategies, education and professional careers, and leisure practices. It will form an important historical context for those working incontemporary museum studies.