Historical
Society,
'warehouse'
bursting
The Nebraska State Historical Society doesn't ever intend to
exhibit all its materials at one time, according to Wendell Frantz,
curator of the Lincoln Museum.
A large portion of the Society's material would not be of
interest to the general public, Martin Kivett, director of the State
Historical Society, said. Lack of space also prevents exhibition of
most materials.
Besides the museum exhibits, the society has a library and
archives and keeps technical records of archeological expeditions
conducted by the State Historical Society.
Because display area in the museum is limited, Kivett estimated
only one-fifteenth of the society's material can be exhibited at any
time.
Storage of these materials is a major problem for the State
Historical Society, he said. Many items are stored in the museum
itself. But, Kivett said, the Society has historical materials stored in
warehouses throughout the state.
The Nebraska State Historical Society, which is a department of
state government, is looking for new storage and display space,
according to Kivett. Plans call for construction of a new museum
with about 100,000 square feet of display area to be built near the
state capitol, he said. The present museum has about 30,000 square
feet of area shared between the archives and the library. The
present museum would be used exclusively for the archives, he
said.
Kivett said the State Historical Society is not limited to the
museum in Lincoln. The Society also has museums at Fort
Robinson and Chimney Rock, plus two mobile museums which can
, be moved around the state. The homes of former senator George
Norris at McCook and Nebraska's first secretary of state, Thomas
Kennard have been restored by the State Historical Society.
The State Historical Society also controls the markers erected at
sites of historical interest around the state.
Kivett estimated that 150,000 to 200,000 persons tour the
Historical Society's museums every year.
Continued on p. 10
. . . Gunnerson
Continued from p. 8
Largest in U.S.
Parasitology, the study of
parasites, presents another
problem.
"There's dam little to
present in public," Gunnerson
said. "All the exhibits are
microscopic in size. We have
one of the biggest parasitology
collections in the country, but
it's far more geared to research
than exhibit."
Gunnerson sees a twofold
mission for Morrill Hall-the
collecting and dispersing of
knowledge.
"Briefly, the function of the
museum is to acquire, preserve
and disseminate knowledge and
add to the life of the
university. We get the
information through the field
party. We preserve this
information into collections
with the accompanying notes
the researcher takes in the
field."
The field notes, Gunnerson
said, are the researcher's
observations written at the
fossil site. They're as important
to the scientist, especially
geologists, as the collection
itself, he said.
"We send out our
knowledge by writing scientific
reports to the scientific world
or we disseminate that
information to the public
through the museum."
Hall halted
Morrill Hall receives funds
from two primary
sources-budget appropriations
and gifts. Almost all the money
for field research is from gifts
and endowments, Gunnerson
said. But even then, he said,
the museum is "woefully
underfunded."
Lack of money stifled the
Hall of Giants project, a plan
to add a wing to house a
collection of mastadon-like
creatures. But if a drive was
reincarnated to raise funds,
Gunnerson said he'd rather
have that money help 'build a
new building.
"The traffic patterns in this
location are bad. It's hard for
visitors to find the museum.
And then they can't find a
place to park."
Although Gunnerson didn't
name any specific site for a
new museum, he described a
Utopian set-up.
"It would have to be in an
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area where it is more easily
found. Parking would be
provided. This museum would
be near Sheldon and the State
Historical Society, so when a
person visits one, he could visit
the Other two. And we should
have a building where all
museum activities could be in
one building."
Arches walled-over
An earlier plan proposed
expanding skyward, similar to
Oldfather Hall. In fact,
Gunnerson said, when Morrill
Hall first opened in 1927,
that's the way it was supposed
to be.
"The present Morrill Hall
was to have been one-half of
the ultimate building," he said.
Along Morrill's south side, he
said, are arches, now boarded
up with brick. Designers had
planned these arches as part of
a passageway to Andrews Hall.
Another space-making idea,
he said, is transferring the
geology department, which
now occupies the fourth floor,
into Lyman Hall after the
pharmacy students move to
Omaha.
Gunnerson wills this legacy
to museum visitors: "I want
them to find answers here for
questions they have in mind. I
want to have instilled a feeling
of investigation and
exploration in themselves."
Here people see natural
history before them, which is
different, Gunnerson said, than
reading someone else's
interpretation.
"I want the visitors to
discover new questions which
will raise other questions in
their thinking. Enough so they
will find out the answers to
these questions."
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Wednesday, march 19, 1975
daily nebraskan
page 9