# Local museum > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Local_museum > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Local_museum.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_museum > Source revision: 1329064271 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Museum that covers local history}} [[File:Richfield History Center.jpg|thumb|[Richfield History Center & Museum](/source/Richfield_History_Center) is a local museum in [Richfield, Minnesota](/source/Richfield%2C_Minnesota)]] [[File:Museum de Oude Wolden 3.jpg|thumb|[Museum de Oude Wolden](/source/Museum_de_Oude_Wolden) is a local museum about art and history in [Bellingwolde](/source/Bellingwolde), [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands).]] [[File:Pikeville C&O depot from southeast.jpg|thumb|[Big Sandy Heritage Center](/source/Big_Sandy_Heritage_Center) is a local museum about history and culture in [Pikeville](/source/Pikeville%2C_Kentucky), [Kentucky](/source/Kentucky).]] A '''local museum''' or '''local history museum''' is a type of [museum](/source/museum) that shows the historical development of a place/region ([local history](/source/local_history)) using exhibits. These museums usually maintain a collection of historic three-dimensional objects which are exhibited in displays. Such museums are often small in nature and generally have a low budget for their running costs. As such, many of the collections are compiled, cataloged, and interpreted by amateur historians as well as professionals.Timo Tohmo, Economic value of a local museum: Factors of willingness-to-pay. ''[Journal of Socio-Economics](/source/Journal_of_Socio-Economics)'', Volume 33, Issue 2, pages 229–240, April 2004. {{doi|10.1016/j.socec.2003.12.012}} These museums can cover a governmental defined unit such as a [town](/source/town), [city](/source/city), [county](/source/county), or [parish](/source/Parish_(administrative_division)) or they can cover an area defined within the museum's mission. In the United States while some museums may be part of the local government or receive funding from them in some way. However, most local history museums are usually self-funded. These museums can also run as independent organizations or they can managed by an accompanying local historical society which also will maintain an archive of local records in addition to the museum's three-dimensional object collection. Local history museums are frequently housed in a historically significant or thematically typical building; it is often a former public building such as a school building, a former courthouse, or city/town hall since the structure, which was already owned by the municipality and can continue its use as a in the public realm as a museum. Other times museums are located in repurposed commercial buildings that had significance for the area such as a bank or a railroad depot. Many local museums are also [open-air museums](/source/Open-air_museum) in which several historical buildings from the area have been collected in some museum villages and rebuilt in a new location.{{Cite book|last=Alexander|first=Edward Porter|title=Museums in motion: an introduction to the history and functions of museums|last2=Alexander|first2=Mary|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7591-0509-6|language=English}}{{Cite book|last=Latham|first=Kiersten F.|title=Foundations of Museum Studies: Evolving Systems of Knowledge Illustrated Edition|last2=Simmons|first2=John E.|publisher=Libraries Unlimited|year=2014|isbn=978-1610692823|language=English}} In some cases the character of the local history museum is superimposed with the representation of a famous or well-known person from the area, or focuses on a single branch of the economy that was or is particularly formative for the region. Local history museums offer the interpretation of the everyday lives of ordinary people and the unique histories that locale may offer. These museums also offer a more in-depth look into the details of how national and international events affected the locale represented by the museum. ==Regional variations== In Germany, a specific type of local museum is a [Heimatmuseum](/source/%3Ade%3AHeimatmuseum), a museum dedicated to the unique German concept of [heimat](/source/heimat), a form of local cultural identity. ==Challenges== Small local museums face many challenges. One issue is money. Many local museums don't have enough funds to keep running smoothly. These museums often operate with tight budgets, usually less than $250,000 annually, and rely on a small staff with multiple responsibilities. Staff members in these museums often need to be "jacks-of-all-trades," handling various tasks across different museum functions. Additionally these museums frequently employ volunteers to perform key staff functions due to limited financial resources. These museums often struggle when their funding is cut or when costs go up.{{Cite web |title=Small Museums |url=https://www.aaslh.org/communities/smallmuseums/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=AASLH |language=en-US}}{{Cite journal |last=Jagošová |first=Lucie |date=2023-11-04 |title=The concept of small museums from an international and local perspective: starting points for further research in the Czech Republic |url=https://muzeologia.sk/index_htm_files/MKD_4_23_jagosova.pdf |journal=Muzeológia a kultúrne dedičstvo |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=45-58}} ==See also== * [Folk museum](/source/Folk_museum) * [Historic house museum](/source/Historic_house_museum) * [Local history](/source/Local_history) * [National museum](/source/National_museum) * [State Museum](/source/State_Museum_(disambiguation)) ==References== {{reflist}} {{Authority control}} Category:Local museums Category:Types of museums --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Local museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_museum) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_museum?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.