University of Alaska Museum of the North
Encyclopedia
The University of Alaska Museum of the North is housed on the University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....

 campus.

Mission

The museum's mission is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret specimens and collections relating to the natural, artistic, and cultural heritage of Alaska and the Circumpolar North. Through education, research, and public exhibits, the museum serves the state, national, and international science programs. The museum develops and uses botanical, geological, zoological, and cultural collections; these collections form the basis for understanding past and present issues unique to the North and meeting the challenges of the future.

Founding and history

The museum, formerly known as the University of Alaska Museum, was housed in what is now known as Signers' Hall for much of its history. It was mandated as part of the original legislation establishing the university in 1917. In 1924, Charles E. Bunnell
Charles E. Bunnell
Charles Ernest Bunnell was a district judge for the United States Fourth Judicial Division and the University of Alaska's first president, from 1921 to 1949. He ran for Alaska Territorial Delegate to Congress on the Democratic Party ticket in 1914, but was defeated...

, then-president of the university, directed Otto Geist
Otto W. Geist
Otto William Geist , aka Aghvook, was an archaeologist, explorer, and naturalist who worked in the circumpolar north and for the University of Alaska for much of his adult life....

 to collect items for display in the museum. The museum had no one single location until 1936, when it was housed in Signers' Hall. Before that, the collections were displayed or stored in several locations around the campus.

Over time, the collections overflowed the space, and a capital campaign was begun in 1975 to build a new museum. The campaign was completed in 2001 and the new building opened to the public in late 2005, with some galleries opening in 2006.

Collections

  • Alaska Center for Documentary Film
  • Alaska Frozen Tissue Collection
  • Arctic Archival Observatory
  • Archeology Collections
  • Earth Sciences Collection
  • Entomology Collection
  • Ethnology Collection
  • History Collection
  • Fine Arts Collection
  • Herbarium
  • Fish, Amphibian, and Reptile Collections
  • Mammal Collection
  • Marine Invertebrates Collection
  • Bird Collection

See also

  • J. P. Hubrick (born late 1800s, died 1930), photographer working in McCarthy, Alaska
    McCarthy, Alaska
    McCarthy is a census-designated place in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 42 at the 2000 census.- Geography and location:...


External links

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