MUSEUM STUDY OVERSEAS

Southland Times, Issue 23945, 11 October 1939, Page 6

MUSEUM STUDY OVERSEAS

Tour By Mr R. A. Falla

DISPLAY IMPROVEMENTS NOTED (Special to The Times) AUCKLAND, October 10. Improvements in methods of display and selection of exhibits and experiments in museum development were noted by Mr R. A. Falla, formerly of Auckland and now director of the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, during a recent trip through America, England and the Scandinavian countries. Mr Falla made the tour under a travelling grant for research by the Carnegie Fellowship. . Mr Falla left New Zealand m January and he spent three months in various parts of the United States and Canada. In variety and methods Of display, American museums hold a leading place, in Mr Falla’s opinion, and he said he was fortunate in having the opportunity to study not only the permanent collections, such as in the Metropolitan Museum of New York and the Field Museum in Chicago, but also exhibits of science and arts in the world fairs at New York and San Francisco, where the display attained a high degree of perfection in up-to-date technique.

N.Z. BIRD COLLECTIONS Some time was spent in study of important collections of New Zealand birds in New York and Washington. From the scientific aspect these collections were of great value to the student, for they contained some series of important and rare specimens that were unrivalled. It was also interesting to note how well preserved historic material was shown in complete fashion in some of the smaller centres, such as the New Bedford whaling museum. Three months were spent in Great Britain visiting a large number of important museums in London and elsewhere. With Mr A. T. Pycroft, of Auckland, Mr Falla attended a conference of the Museum Association of Great Britain, at which Lord Bledisloe presided. About 400 delegates attended from all parts of the world. | The conference, which was most successful, gave serious attention to air raid precautions for the preservation of national treasures. A week or so before Mr Falla left London ideas on this subject were put into practice, a large proportion of the great collections in London and > other metropolitan centres being removed to places of greater safety. “I was much impressed by experiments in museum development carried out in the Scandinavian countries which I visited in August,” added Mr Falla. “Even at that time I found the public in those countries apprehensive of war in Europe. They regarded the outlook with pessimism.”