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Museum Studies Department records

 Collection
Identifier: RG0092

Collection Scope and Content

Materials in this collection include departmental history, sample exams, reports, course proposals, conferences, meeting minutes, syllabi, National Park Service Workshops, and Taiwan Project. They range in dates from 1976 to 2002, and were transferred to the University Archives by the Department of Museum Studies. Note: Not all series are processed. Ask staff for assistance.

Dates

  • 1976-2002

Restrictions on Access

Series 1 is closed to research for 25 years from date of record creation.

Restrictions on Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Historical or Biographical Note

The Museum Studies department of The George Washington University, was founded in 1976 by a committee of University professors consisting of Dr. Humphery from Anthropology, Dr. MacDonald from Art History, and Dr. Mergen from American Studies. The University was one of the first graduate schools to establish a museum studies based program.

In the early 1980s Marie Malaro, a legal advisor to the Smithsonian Institution, took over as director of the program. Under her direction, the course selection increased as did the number of students enrolled in the program. Malaro retired in 1997 and was succeeded by Ildiko DeAngelis, who also previously served as a legal advisor to the Smithsonian Institution for over 10 years.

The department was created to provide students with a broad background in museum studies knowledge, including a variety of specialized approaches to a museum careers, with concentrations in such areas as conservation, collections management, and exhibiting techniques. Due to the large variety of museums in the District of Columbia, the University offers a unique resource for interested students. Not only are classes taught by professionals who work in local museums, including the Smithsonian, many of these classes are taught within the museums themselves.

The Museum Studies department offers a 2 year Master's program or a one year certificate program. The department offers three concentrations within the museum field: collections management, exhibit design, and administration. Furthermore, the program requires an academic core in a specialized field which includes, but is not limited to art, anthropology, history, or American studies.

N.B. This history note was written in 2005

Extent

2.75 Linear Feet (2 record center boxes 1 document box 1 slim document box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Collection includes departmental history, sample exams, reports, course proposals, meeting minutes, syllabi.

Collection Organization

Organized in three series of departmental records.

Acquisition Information

Materials acquired through transfers from Museum Studies Department.

Title
Guide to the Museum Studies Department records, 1976-2002
Author
University Archives, Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
Date
2007
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository

Contact:
2130 H Street NW
Washington 20052 United States of America