Museum Premieres CD-ROM

Museum Premieres CD-ROM

The annually published Museum Premieres CD-ROM for Windows is a page by page viewing of the unique reference book Museum Premieres. Use the word search capabilities to search for almost any topic. No other compilation of museums provides this valuable tool that enables access to the vast body of knowledge found in museums. Looking up artists by name or style, finding eras in history and seeking scientific information are just a few ways this powerful and unique feature is used find details of exciting exhibition and educational programs that are offered by museums nationwide in this extensive compilation. The Museum Premieres CD-ROM is published on Envoy (R) software created by Novell (R). If you are familiar with the Adobe (R) Acrobat (R) software you will see that it is very similar and easy to use with on-screen help.

Museum Premieres was developed by museum professionals in response to requests from people across the country who wanted an annual directory that listed all types of major U.S. museums and their detailed exhibitions & events. No other museum publication offers this information. In fact, the Committee on Exhibition of the American Association of Museums states that Museum Premieres is "...the most comprehensive national source for exhibition information." Decades of museum experience uniquely qualify the editors for this task. Their direct contact with each museum assures the most accurate information possible.

Museums are listed alphabetically by state and city. Information is subdivided into the following six categories: General Information includes a description, address, open times and admission costs; Permanent Exhibitions describes galleries and their contents; Temporary Exhibition Schedules gives dates and descriptions of changing exhibitions; Traveling Exhibitions describes exhibitions circulated by the museum; Event Schedules gives dates and descriptions of special events and programs; and Travel Tours includes dates and descriptions of travel opportunities.

Museum Premieres specializes in what visitors can see and do in major museums across the country whereas The Official Museum Directory focuses on behind-the-scenes museum information.

Articles about museums explore in depth a variety of exhibitions and events. Nine indexes aid readers in finding items of special interest. The six Keyword Reference Indexes makes searches easy in each of the six aforementioned categories. The Museum Index lists each facility alphabetically by name. Also included is the List of Museums with Free Admissions and the List of Major Exhibitions. The book, found in libraries, bookstores and museums, is used by people researching almost any subject, as there are museums and exhibitions for nearly every interest.

Museum Premieres details information NOT found in The Official Museum Directory (besides, the OMD is not available on cd-rom). Museum Premieres specializes in what visitors can see and do in major museums across the country whereas The Official Museum Directory focuses on behind-the-scenes museum information. Librarians find Museum Premieres very user-friendly with highlights including detailed descriptions of exhibitions and events, timely articles and more than 100 photos. Also, nine highly acclaimed indexes are unparalleled in any other directory. Museum Premieres is a fun and interesting book to browse and is offered at a very reasonable price. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Pulitzer Publishing Co.) states, "Museum Premieres is the best new reference we've seen. This 850-page volume lives up to its name."

The recently published 98/99 edition of Museum Premieres is available now (September, 1998). It includes exciting exhibitions and events through 1999 and into the year 2000. The next version will be available in June 1999.

Some reviews...

"The detailed exhibition and event information in MUSEUM PREMIERES is unavailable elsewhere, making this a useful tool for tourists and educators." - CHOICE, Current Reviews for Academic Libraries.

"In addition to listings, the guide's reference indexes help researchers zero in on major exhibitions and topics of interest. Cultural tourists will find that MUSEUM PREMIERES makes trip planning a breeze, while museum wholesalers will appreciate the helping hand in locating new markets for specific products." - Museum Store Magazine, Museum Store Association.

"An amazing marshaling of information: complete schedules of exhibitions and special events in more than 1000 museums across the country - Booklist, American Library Association. A review in Booklist constitutes a recommendation for library purchase. - from Booklist masthead. MUSEUM PREMIERES was featured in two issues of Booklist including the Editor's Choice edition

"...the most comprehensive national source for exhibition information." - Exhibitionist, National Association for Museum Exhibition, the Standing Professional Committee on Exhibition of the American Association of Museums.

"A database in print form, offering descriptions, locations, telephone numbers, hours, and admission prices for over 1000 american museum, as well as complete schedules of exhibitions." - Library Journal.

"Museum Premieres Exhibitions & Special Events is the best new reference we've seen. This volume lives up to its name, providing a national directory of museums with hours and admissions and a listing of special exhibits each has scheduled for the coming year." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch Magazine.

Plenty of guides are called definitive, but few really qualify. Museum Premieres -a listing of the nation's cultural, scientific and historical institutions- will keep museum groupies, cultural tourists, researchers and even enterprising wholesalers engrossed for hours.

Listings are presented in state and city order, and each museum entry includes bread-and-butter data about the institution: hours, fees, location and description of facilities. That alone makes the guide useful, but its inclusion of juicier information makes it essential-at least for culture, science and history buffs. Each entry contains a rundown of the institution's permanent exhibits, a description of its special programs and a preview of the coming year's temporary and traveling attractions.

In addition to listings, the guide's reference indexes help researchers zero in on major exhibitions and topics of interest. Cultural tourists will find that Museum Premieres makes trip planning a breeze, while museum wholesalers will appreciate the helping hand in locating new markets for specific products. -from Museum Store, the magazine of the Museum Store Association, Inc.

Readers can order through Baker & Taylor, Ebsco, Ingram or your favorite vendor. However for discounts below on introductory/standing orders, order directly from the publisher by calling toll-free 888.466-8738.

image courtesy of Information Services & Co

This page was originally published 9/20/98 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information. rev. 11/28/11

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