CQ Researcher provides award winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. Our reports are written by experienced journalists, footnoted and professionally fact-checked. Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. Graphics, photos and short "sidebar" features round out the reports. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects most in demand by students.
FEATURED REPORT
The Future of Museums
- December 6, 2019
Museums, built to house objects from history, science or art, are trying to navigate a host of issues ranging from changes in demographics to demands for transparency and social responsibility. Activists want museums to stop accepting funding from producers of fossil fuels, opioids, munitions and cigarettes, return stolen artifacts to their homelands and create more diverse exhibits and staffs. Museum leaders are under pressure to become more agile and to harness the power of technology, social media and celebrity, while also preserving their traditional roles as guardians of history and educators. This pace of change comes amid new competition from online entertainment and for-profit immersive experience companies, some of which call themselves museums. Smaller museums in particular face funding shortfalls and are starting to sell off pieces in their collections, something that was all but forbidden for decades. Climate change, fires and floods are not only topics of exhibits — they increasingly threaten museum collections and buildings.
Tapping Experiences
Spreading Controversies
Openings and Closings
Innovative Museums
1780s–1800s | First U.S. museums debut. |
1900s–1940s | Artifact looting becomes a growing problem. |
1970s–1990s | Museums become entrenched in popular culture. |
2000–Present | Museums become more diverse. |
Are museums too aligned or enmeshed with major funders and their business interests?
Pro
Co-Director, Culture Unstained. |
Con
Managing Partner for Museums & Performing Arts, Alexander Haas, Inc.. |
This CQ Reseacher report also contains:
RECENT REPORTS
The Gender Pay Gap
Is overt discrimination the cause?
U.S.-Iran Relations
Is a military conflict inevitable?
Climate Change and Health
Is the threat to humans growing?
HOT TOPICS
Read the latest updates to our most popular topics
- AbortionWill states succeed in toppling Roe v. Wade?
- Climate ChangeWill the world act before catastrophic warming occurs?
- Global TerrorismIs domestic violence now the biggest threat?
- Gun ControlCan the nation find common ground in the wake of mass shootings?
- Health Care PolicyCan the Affordable Care Act Survive?
- Higher EducationIs rising student debt jeopardizing the value of college?
- Immigration PolicyCan U.S. officials restore order at the Southern border?
- Marijuana LegalizationWill public opinion drive further liberalization?
- Opioid AddictionIs the crisis abating?
- The Death PenaltyIs the public turning against it?
UPCOMING REPORTS
Can policymakers close the urban-rural divide?
Are tariffs and technology disrupting global trade routes?