People tend to think of museums only as places to exhibit things to the public. Few realize that only a small proportion of a museum's collections is shown and that much of the material isn't even suitable for display. Then why keep it? The answer is that a museum's role is much bigger than just showing off their holdings.
One vital aspect is preservation of objects for later generations. Our
minds are set up such that it's important to us that a thing be real. An actual
19th century Colt 45 makes a human connection not established by pictures or replicas.
Caretaking of artifacts so that future generations can make such connections is vital.
Another duty of the full museum is research. An object, even if not displayable,
reveals hidden aspects of the past when placed in context. Where was it made, what is
it made of, how was it used, who was associated with it, what do these marks mean?
Answers to such questions flesh out the past in ways accessible by no other
means.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.