Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/21



CHAPTER I

HE first problem to be considered by a Board of Trustees about to found a new museum is the choice of the location. Sometimes this is already decided for them: a gift of land is made and it is necessary for the building to be placed upon that land. If, however, the trustees are free to make their own choice, what are the questions that should be answered before a lot can be considered desirable? The first of these is whether a museum should be regarded as an institution for the education of the masses, or whether it should serve as a centre for study for specialists, or both.

Here in America a museum is regarded as a part of the educational system, and the great contribution that we have made to the development of museum science has been the addition to the duties of the museum official of the important 3