Each student will select an existing museum web site that will be the basis for their research this session. We will be doing a series of exercises, both in and outside of class, analyzing the existing site and proposing a new information architecture for the site. You will want to select a museum site that is neither too large, not too small.

• The ideal size is about 25-75 main pages and sub-pages.
• The ideal museum site will need some IA help.
  It could be ugly, disorganized or simply provide insufficient information.

The Metropolitan Museum in NYC is too big. The Exploratorium is too big. The Smithsonian is way too big. The EMP is also too big. But all of these are good to look at to gain an understanding of how a well designed museum site might function.

Burke Museum in Seattle is probably a good size . The Nasher Museum at Duke is also about the right size. The Shoe Museum in Toronto is also a good size. The three previously mentioned museums are nicely laid out and well organized.

The Montana Prison Museum is about the right size and needs IA help. The Edison & Ford Winter Estates site is a navigational nightmare.

The George Eastman House museum has an attractive interface, but the navigation is confusing, making the site appear intimidatingly large.

Selecting a museum for your project

Select your site carefully. You will be working on it for the entire session. Try to find a museum subject area that interest you. Keep size in mind.

• Yahoo Museum Directory
• Open Directory Project - Museums
• Museum.com - international museums

Art Museums

• Art Museum search - Google
• American Visionary Art Museum (presently featuring Clyde Jones of Bynum, NC!) - Baltimore
• Canadian Centre for Architecture - Montreal, CA
• Design Museum - London, UK

Cultural Museums

• Culture Museum search - Google
• Farm museum search - Google
• Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture - Seattle, WA
• Museum of Rural English Life - London, UK
• Old Salem - Winston-Salem, NC
• National Cowboy Hall of Fame - Oklahoma City, OK
• Tilamook County Pioneer Museum - Tilamook, OR
• DuSable Museum of African American History - Chicago, IL
• Hispanic Society of America - NYC
• National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library - Cedar Rapids, IA

Music Museums/Halls of Fame

• Music Museum search - Google
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, OH
• Eubie Blake National Jazz Center - Baltimore, MD

Science Museums

• Science Museum Search - Google
• The Exploratorium - San Francisco, CA
• National Inventors Hall of Fame museum - Akron, OH
• Dinosaur Museum - Blanding, Utah
• Dakota Dino Museum - Dickinson, ND
• National Museum of Dentistry - Baltimore, MD

Sports Museums/Halls of Fame

• Sports Museum search - Google
• National Baseball Hall of Fame - Cooperstown, NY
• Babe Ruth Museum - Baltimore
• National Sports Museum - NYC

Unclassifiable (or at least unclassified)

• Newseum - Washington, DC
• Museum of Holography - Chicago
• Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising - London, UK
• Edison-Ford Winter Estate- Ft. Myers FL
• Atomic Testing Museum - Las Vegas, NV
• Old Prison Museum - Deerlodge, MT