Hello, my name is Dawn Scher Thomae.
I'm the Curator of Anthropology 
Collections at the Milwaukee Public Museum.
Today's "Question with an Expert" is...
What type of research is done in the 
Anthropology collections?
In the Anthropology Department, we care 
for over five hundred and twenty thousand objects...
made or modified by humans from around the world.
We primarily do applied research 
pertaining to a single object or collection...
so we can answer a question for a specific purpose.
Our mission at the museum is to inspire 
curiosity, excite minds and increase desire...
to preserve and protect our world's 
natural and cultural diversity.
We do research to learn more about each 
objects story, including its preservation...
so we can tell people about it through 
public programs and talks or exhibits.
Think of the collection as an enormous library...
with each book always in the process of
being written or revised.
Research is an ongoing process and the 
 results can change over time.
For example, what we know by examining 
artifacts such as stone tools created by early humans...
has changed over the last hundred years
based on research conducted by many people.
We document everything we learned so it 
can be recorded for future generations.
We share this information in various ways...
including with the people whose 
ancestors created the items.
It all begins with questions.
Our department receives over three
hundred a year from the public or museum staff.
Questions be can be specific such as...
What animal is depicted on this Mexican mask? Or...
Besides papyrus, what type of paper was 
used in the Middle East thousands of years ago?
We also host over forty people a year who 
travel to the museum...
to review the Anthropology collections in 
order to answer their own questions.
To do artifact research, you have to begin 
with simple questions, like...
How old is this object? What is it made 
out of? How is it made?
What is its purpose? Does it have any special history?
Are there other people in the world that 
make something similar?
Answering these questions and so many 
others can help us construct an object biography...
that can be used as the foundation for 
more in-depth research.
It's important for a researcher to not
only be curious, but be patient...
since most research takes a lot of time.
We use a variety of tools, methods and 
techniques to do research on site.
Sometimes we partner with other experts...
or loan collections to universities who
may have specialized equipment.
In the Anthropology Department, we don't 
conduct field research any more...
since we're continuously working on the 
thousands of artifacts...
just waiting for their stories to be told.
Thank you for watching!
Please join us for the next segment in our 
"Question with an Expert" series.
