In this Research and
Collections section, you will learn what the Illinois State Museum collects,
how it collects objects, what it does with the collections, and how it cares
for the collections. Each discipline in the museum: fine art, decorative
art, anthropology, botany, geology, and zoology, has its own methods of
collecting, using, and caring for objects, artifacts, and specimens.
the Illinois State Museum curators collect objects?
the Illinois State Museum obtain collections?
collect objects to record human and natural history.
collect to fulfill our mission, which is to preserve and interpret the
natural, cultural, and artistic heritage of Illinois.
collect within our scope, which includes human cultures
and natural environments of Illinois.
collect art, artifacts,
and other geological and natural history specimens
that further our knowledge of Illinois.
people donate family objects to the museum. For example, Mr. Albert
Small's children gave the museum three quilts that he made in the 1930s
- The Museum
curators purchase some objects that will add valuable information to
curators go into the field to collect from natural sites and from archaeological
sites. For example, botanists collect pollen samples from lake beds;
geologists find and collect fossils from caves; archaeologists dig in
sites where artifacts have been discovered.
people use the Museum's collections?
who work for the museum and researchers from outside the museum use the
the staff of the Museum take care of the objects in the collections?
to other collections they study
their knowledge of Illinois history and natural history
them write papers and books on topics represented in the collections
exhibits for the museum and for other museums
- get accurate
information for scientific paintings, dioramas, and illustrations.
To learn more
about these topics, explore the Research and Collections Web pages for each
preserve the objects carefully in climate-controlled storage areas.
protect the objects on exhibit with special furniture and equipment.
restore and repair objects when necessary. For example, the decorative
arts curator arranged for the restoration of a child's wagon so it could
go on exhibit.