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Article: Treasures on Earth. (Potpourri).
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- November 1, 2002
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The fundamental, perhaps inherent problems of museums are clarified in Keith Thomson's Treasures on Earth (Faber & Faber, 2002). Former director of the Academy of Natural Sciences, in Philadelphia, and of Yale' s Peabody Museum, Thomson now heads the Oxford University Museum.
Most museums begin as private collections that are later given to the public or to a nonprofit organization; for example, Sir Hans Sloane's collection began the British Museum and Andrew Mellon's, the National Gallery. But collectors collect everything, including Barbie dolls, beer cans, matchboxes, and 1,500 McDonald's paper tray liners. What should be saved? The issue, Thomson says, "is ...