ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is about natural history museums. It discusses the future trends in research in natural history museums by Frank Howarth, former Director of the Australian Museum. The book explores the important trends in the direct stewardship of wild populations and their habitats from the American Museum of Natural History. It analyzes the future of natural history exhibitions by Kara Blond of the Smithsonian Institution. The book then examines the emergence of science centers during the last decades of the twentieth century, simultaneous with a renewed effort on the part of natural history museums to embrace greater interactivity. It then addresses significant international developments in legal areas affecting natural history museums by Lynda Knowles, Legal Counsel at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
