BOTANICAL GARDENS, MUSEUMS AND ZOOS

Botanical gardens, museums and zoos were established as scientific institutions relatively early historically. We might consider in this category the entire class of organizations that combine public information activities with science and/or technology, including: nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, space theaters, and children's museums.

While these institutions have important roles in systematic science and science education, they seem to suffer from relative neglect in the donor community. UNESCO is perhaps the exception, but by placing Museums under its cultural program, it perhaps misses the importance of museums of natural history, science and technology –which are of course important within the K4D context.

Here are some sites providing interesting resources related to museums, etc.

The International Council of Museums
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is dedicated to the development of museums and the museum profession. ICOM is a worldwide network for museum professionals of all disciplines and specializations.
http://icom.museum/

The Association of Science and Technology Centers Inc.
ASTC is an organization of science centers and museums dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. ASTC seeks to provide professional development for the science center field, promotes best practices, supports effective communication, strengthens the position of science centers within the community at large, and fosters the creation of successful partnerships and collaborations. It now numbers more than 550 members in 43 countries. Members include not only science-technology centers and science museums, but also nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, space theaters, and natural history and children's museums.
http://www.astc.org/

The Natural Science Collections Alliance
A nonprofit association that supports natural science collections, their human resources, the institutions that house them, and their research activities for the benefit of science and society. Member organizations are from the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
http://www.nscalliance.org/about/index.asp

The International Zoo Educators Association
IZE is an association dedicated to expanding the educational impact on zoos and aquariums worldwide. Its dual mission is to improve the education programs in the facilities of its members and to provide access to the latest thinking, techniques, and information in conservation education. IZE facilitates communication and professional development among zoo/aquarium educators and supports liaison with related organizations.
http://www.izea.net/

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
WAZA's mission is to guide, encourage and support the zoos, aquariums, and like-minded organizations of the world in animal care and welfare, environmental education and global conservation.
http://www.waza.org/

Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
CBSG develops, tests and applies scientifically based tools for risk assessment and decision making in the context of in situ and ex situ species management to produce realistic management recommendations.
http://www.cbsg.org/

The Internet Directory For Botany
This site provides links to: Aborita and Botanical Gardens; Botanical Museums, Herbaria, and Natural History Museums; related professional societies, journals, and other materials.
http://www.botany.net/IDB/

The Museum Computer Network
A nonprofit organization of professionals interested in the use of computer technologies for developing, managing, and conveying museum information.
http://www.mcn.edu/


This is a nice, related site:

Ed-Resources.Net: Managing Your Museum Web Site
This Web site created by Jim Angus, of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, provides specific tips and for museum web site, including a step-by-step guide to how to design and build a Web site for a museum. He also includes information on how to market the site once it is completed, and a handy listing of resources for the museum Web developer.
http://www.ed-resources.net/mw99/index.html