Our museum services promote Utah museums and the essential role they play in our state as sources of community pride, centers of public education, and institutions which encourage economic development and tourism. We assist Utah museums in improving their ability to:
You can search for museums in Utah based on the type of museum (art, history, railroad, etc), the location of the museums (by city county, or region) or the name of the Museum. Whether you are planning a day trip to a museum or a longer road trip, this is the source of information about the museums that you want to visit.
Museum Treasure Hunt
Download the Museum Treasure Hunt and head to a museum. There are museums of all types located across Utah—and they are full of treasures. Answer the treasure hunt questions as you visit Utah museums, and experience the excitement of learning. If you visit a museum just once a week during the summer, you will discover wonderful objects, meet interesting plants and animals, and come face to face with awesome art. Explore your world!
Celebrate Your Museum
Every Year in September Museums all over the state celebrate a special day when essentially all the museums in Utah are open and provide special activities. We will list some of the possibilities on our website as the day draws nearer.
Consultation
Training is available about collections management, including assistance on PastPerfect Museum Software for cataloging collections, collections care, exhibitions, marketing and other museum programs. Staff is available to answer questions via telephone or email and provide onsite consultations to museums on specific problems or questions they may have.
Workshops
Workshops are available to address specific needs of the museum community. Please contact us to set up a time and place for workshops. We encourage several museums to collaborate and send people to the workshops. Available workshops include documentation, collections care, disaster planning, photography of museum objects and exhibition interpretation.
Museum Certification
The 2008 State Legislature enacted a bill that requires the Utah Office of Museums Services to establish a program creating a Certified Utah Museum designation. Museums must be certified to be eligible for grants. For those museums that register with the Commerce Department for soliciting funds, the Certified Utah Museum designation reduces the annual registration fee from $100 to $65.
Performance Goals
The museum performance goals program encourages museums to become more professional through a self study that covers 8 vital museum programs: purpose and stucture, staff, finance, facilities, collections and conservation, exhibitions, education and public relations.
Museum Project Grants
Grants are awarded to nonprofit Utah museums for collections care, exhibition, marketing, and education projects. Scholarships to attend the Utah Museums Association Conference are awarded to small museums for staff and volunteers.
Museum Interpretation Initiative
This grant and educational program aids Utah's museums in telling their story and strengthening their interpretive programs. In the context of museum work, to interpret an artifact means to tell a story through labels, brochures, docent tours, public programming, and other means. Interpretation Workshops that cover methods of gathering information about museum objects, interpretive exhibits, and interpretive tours by docents and volunteers are being offered throughout the state. This is a partnership of the Office of Museum Services, the Utah Humanities Council and the Utah Museums Association.
OMS Newsletter
This newsletter contains timely information about events for museums in Utah and articles that provide technical assistance.
Museum Guide
This guide is designed to address the needs of two audiences: those who are interested in starting a new museum but who are not museum professionals; and those who have been involved in the museum profession but have questions regarding specific museum issues. Therefore, some may choose to read each chapter in the guide to get an overview of all aspects of museum operation; while others will find that a specific chapter will address their concern.
Web Resources
Visit our museum resources area of a list of museum education opportunities and on line resources that can help museums learn about professional standards and collections management.
Library Resources
A resource library containing a variety of publications is available for museum personnel. One copy is in the Office of Museum Services Library for use on-site. A duplicate copy of each publication is in the State Library and is available through inter-library loan.
- Download a List of available books in Resource Library