Concord Museum

Purpose: Supporting Lifelong Learning The Concord Museum will conduct a three-part project to bring public awareness and accessibility to its distinguished collection of objects related to Henry David Thoreau, one of the most widely read and influential of American writers. The collection of 150 objects-the world's largest collection of objects associated with Thoreau and his family-offers a unique opportunity to teach about Thoreau's life, ideas, and legacy. The museum currently shares its collection with regional visitors, tourists from around the world, and distance learners through permanent and changing exhibitions, books and scholarly articles, and school and public programs. In this project, the museum will publish an illustrated interpretive catalog of the collection for use by both scholars and the general public. The museum will develop a comprehensive presentation on its Web site, including a searchable visual database of the entire Thoreau collection, an object-based interacting learning experience, and standards-based lesson plans linked to the collection for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The museum also will expand its education activities, including school courses, public outreach programs, and teacher workshops.