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Research Guides

Museum Studies

Types of Museums

The sub-sections below contain selected web resources and suggested subject headings for finding books on the subject area.

To find books in the U of T catalogue on specific types of museums, choose from this extensive list of Library of Congress Subject headings (LCSH).
  • Aeronautical museums
  • Agricultural museums
  • Anatomical museums
  • Anthropological museums and collections
  • Aquariums
  • Arboretums
  • Archaeological museums and collections
  • Architectural museums
  • Art museums
  • Astronautical museums
  • Astronomical museums
  • Botanical gardens
  • Cabinets of curiosities
  • Children's museums
  • College museums
  • College art museums
  • College science museums
  • Commercial museums
  • Community museums
  • Costume museums
  • Dance museums
  • Dime museums
  • Ethnological museums and collections
  • Geographical museums
  • Geological museums
  • Halls of fame
  • Historic house museums
  • Historic farms
  • Historical museums
  • Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Museums
  • Industrial museums
  • Interactive science museums
  • International museums
  • Jewish museums
  • Literary museums
  • Maritime museums
  • Medical museums
  • Military museums
  • Mineralogical museums
  • Music museums
  • National museums
  • Natural history museums
  • Naval museums
  • Numismatic museums
  • Open-air museums
  • Pathological museums
  • Pharmaceutical museums
  • Photography museums
  • Planetariums
  • Postal museums
  • Railroad museums
  • Safety museums
  • School museums
  • Science museums
  • Sculpture galleries
  • Small museums
  • Sports museums
  • Textile museums
  • Transportation museums
  • Virtual museums
  • Waxworks
  • Zoological museums
  • Zoos

Archaeology, Anthropology and Ethnographic Museums

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Archeological museums and collections
  • Archaeological theft
  • Antiquities -- Collection and preservation
  • Historic sites -- Conservation and restoration
  • Human remains (Archaeology)
  • Ethnological museums and collections
  • Cultural property -- Repatriation
  • Intellectual property -- Moral and ethical aspects
  • Aboriginal Australians -- Material culture
  • Aboriginal Australians -- Museums
  • Museums and Indians

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

Art museums & galleries

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Art museums
  • Art museum visitors
  • Art museum curators
  • Art -- Exhibition techniques
  • Art -- Conservation and restoration
  • Art objects -- Collection and preservation

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

Difficult heritage, dark tourism, migration museums

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Dark tourism
  • Holocaust memorials
  • War memorials
  • Crimes against humanity -- Exhibitions
  • Political atrocities -- Exhibitions
  • Slavery in museum exhibits
  • Emmigration and immigration -- History -- Museums
  • Immigrants -- History -- Museums
  • Museum exhibits -- Social aspects

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

Historical houses

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Historical museums
  • Historic house museums
  • Historic buildings -- Conservation and restoration
  • Historic sites -- Conservation and restoration
  • Dwellings -- Conservation and restoration
  • Historic preservation

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

History & cultural museums

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Historical museums
  • Historic sites
  • Historic sites -- Interpretive programs
  • Historic buildings
  • Historical reenactments
  • Food -- Exhibitions
  • Food habits -- Exhibitions
  • Costume museums
  • Costumes -- Exhibitions
  • Costume mounting (Display technique)

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

Museums without walls

Natural history, agricultural, aquariums, zoos, etc.

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Natural history museums
  • National parks and reserves
  • Zoos
  • Aquariums
  • Botanical gardens
  • Arboretums
  • Wildlife conservation
  • Taxidermy
  • Zoological specimens -- Collection and preservation

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

Science & technology museums

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Science museums
  • Science museums -- Exhibitions
  • Interactive science museums
  • Planetariums
  • Natural history museums

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

Sites & memorials

Small museums

Recommended Subject Headings

  • Small museums

Also try searching for title = small museums

How to search using Subject Headings

  • Open the advanced search of LibrarySearch
  • Set it to search only in the Catalogue
  • Change the field drop down to Subject
  • Paste in the subject heading listed above into the text box
  • Click Search

screenshot of advanced search page in Librarysearch

Other types of museums