Official Guide to the National Museum of American History [antikvár]

WELCOME TO THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY At the National Museum of American History, we preserve tangible pieces of history—correspondence, tools, auto- mobiles, sheet music, cyclotrons, gowns, flags, and countless other sur- vivors of the past—as the past itself slips away. We also attempt to recon- struct more elusive pieces of the past, through music, drama, and the oral heritage of Americans. Curators and other scholars analyze all these frag- ments, seeking to reconstruct larger portions of the whole and to find meaningful patterns in it that will increase our understanding of our his- tory and ourselves. We present these patterns to our visitors through exhibi- tions, publications, and public pro- grams. This work involves the labors of many people, including scores of vol- unteers. Along with our curatorial divisions, we have offices of public programs, conservation, exhibits design and production, registrar, col- lections management, computer ser- vices, security, and public affairs, to name a few, as well as two libraries and an Archives Center. The breadth of the expert knowledge in the place testifies to the magnitude of our mis- sion. It is to collect, preserve, exhibit, interpret, and honor the heritage of the American people. Many visitors still think of this building as the Museum of History and Technology, the name under which it opened in 1964. But in 1980 the name was changed to the National Museum of American History to reflect more accurately the scope of our inter- ests and responsibilities. Roger Kennedy Director, National Museum of American History