THE CHANGING NATURE OF MUSEUMS

Abstract This informal essay explores the changes natural history and science museums may encounter as their purpose, foundation, and patronage evolve from this histroical era to the next. The historical circumstances—scientific, social, and economic—that brought forth the great museums of the world no longer exist. In their place is a new public context that shifts attention from museums whose business is objects to organizations whose business is information. At the same time, the economic‐survival mechanism of museums is shifting from grand philanthropy to innovative development programs and market‐sensitive commercial endeavors. Meeting the needs of the next generations of visitors and cultivating the next generation of funders will not be simple. Massive changes in the social fabric of the nation will soon demand new kinds of institutions that play new roles in society. Museums that meet this challenge will not simply be competing with other sectors of society for public attention and funds. Future success will require the fundamental reinvention of museums so that their purpose is obvious and their mission is clearly aligned with the needs of future generations.