Centennial Directions 



SUMMARY 



.Envisioned as the permanent legacy of the Columbian 

 Exposition, Field Museum was created as a repository of 

 encyclopedic collections reflecting the diversity of the 

 earth's environments and cultures. The Museum was also 

 to discover and disseminate knowledge based on these col- 

 lections. Over time the Museum has become one of the 

 four major natural history museums in the world. 



Looking to its centennial in 1993, Field Museum of 

 Natural History has engaged in a comprehensive self 

 examination of how best to serve as a collections based 

 center of research and public understanding in its second 

 century. 



The challenge to such a center is unprecedented. The 

 world has become a more congested place generating in- 

 tense pressures on nature and society. The scope of natural 

 history research has broadened dramatically with the pro- 

 liferation of new methods and technologies. Public interest 

 and understanding are difficult to secure, given the array of 

 media and leisure activities competing for attention. 



In confronting this challenge, the Museum has rec- 

 ognized that it has two distinct missions requiring dis- 

 tinctly different approaches. The research institute 

 focuses on scholarship and the nation's research needs; 

 the public museum serves diverse public needs for educa- 

 tion and entertainment. To pursue these two missions, 

 the Museum has reorganized itself into a research institute 

 and a public museum, with a set of institutional support 

 systems underpinning the dual mission. 



The Research Institute 



The research institute is responsible for the care of — and 

 addition to — collections as well as the conduct of active 

 research. 



Natural science and anthropology collections are a 

 key element in the nation's research infrastructure. Field 

 Museum collections exceed 16 million specimens and are 

 of international significance in their breadth, depth, and 

 quality. We will selectively add to these collections in our 

 areas of strength in anthropology, biology, and geology. 

 We will make the collections more accessible through 

 improved conservation, adequate storage, computerization 

 and inter-institutional loans. 



Natural science and anthropological collections 

 6 based research is fundamental to the life, environmen- 



tal, and social sciences as well as to the arts and human- 

 ities. Field Museum staff and research associates will 

 continue to engage in fundamental research in anthro- 

 pology, geology, and biology. We will focus our research 

 efforts on two principal areas: 



* Evolutionary Biology, 



* Anthropology, with particular emphasis on the nature 

 of socio-cultural change and stability in the evolution of 

 ethnic diversity. 



We will also be an active participant in graduate 

 and undergraduate education in Chicago and the 

 nation. 



The Public Museum 



With one of the largest public museum spaces in the 

 United States, Field Museum serves a large and diverse 

 visitor constituency with a wide range of exhibits and 

 programs. To provide even more varied experiences to 

 its visitors, the Museum has adopted a new approach to 

 exhibits and programs which involves three different but 

 interrelated formats: 



* Informal, interactive exhibits and programs which will be 

 directly accessible to virtually any visitor. 



* Major thematic exhibits which will provide broad over- 

 views of natural history subjects and will highlight the 

 Museum's collections. 



* Study halls which will make available in depth re- 

 sources on specific subjects for the visitor seeking a more 

 comprehensive treatment of the subject matter and 

 collections. 



To enhance visitor use of the Museum, we will also 

 build on our strong program of school services and ini- 

 tiate a community outreach effort to help the Museum 

 better reach the broadest spectrum of Chicago's people. 

 In addition a major marketing initiative will be under- 

 taken to increase awareness of the Museum and to foster 

 the perception of Field Museum as human, approach- 

 able, and fun. 



Institutional Support 



To fulfill its dual mission the Museum requires support 

 from a range of human and financial resources within 

 and outside the Museum. 



