The Service Tree lists all services in "branched" groups, starting with the very general and moving to the very specific. Click on the name of any group name to see the sub-groups available within it. Click on a service code to see its details and the providers who offer that service.
Museums
Institutions that acquire, preserve and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of art objects including fine art, decorative art, folk/ethnic art and textiles that are collected primarily for their aesthetic qualities and their importance as representatives of a particular artistic tradition or style. Included are museums that are dedicated to one or a combination of the following: paintings, drawings, etchings, engravings, woodcuts, photographs, sculpture, ceramics, serigraphy, architecture, furniture, silverware, jewelry and other art forms which represent the artistic vision of various societies.
Institutions that develop and maintain educational exhibits and activities that are structured for the size, interests and intellectual capacity of young children. Many children's museums are participatory and allow visitors to interact with the exhibits (touching, exploring, manipulating), and many offer organized lessons for groups of school children that focus on one or more of the exhibits.
Institutions that acquire, preserve, research and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of objects including documents, tools, implements and furnishings that have significance in helping to interpret or understand the past. History museums may specialize in a specific era such as early Greece or Rome, a particular geographic region such as California or Appalachia, a particular ethnic or cultural group such as Northwest Native Americans, a designated subject area such as civil rights or the history of immigration or a specific event such as the Holocaust; and may contain any of a wide variety of items created or used by contemporary or historical figures or other individuals.
Institutions that acquire, preserve, research and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of artifacts which relate to the history of work, workers and the labor movement; the industrial revolution and the development of the machine age; the machinery and tools that contributed to the growth of manufacturing; or the history of a particular trade or industry (e.g., the sugar industry, the canning industry, the advertising industry) or a particular company recognized for its leadership in an industry. Included may be material related to the impact of industrialization or a particular industry on a specific community, region or era; replicas of early modern factories or other industrial settings; significant milestones in the development of a particular industry; examples of the machinery and tools associated with the industry; photographs and other memorabilia of people who invented or operated the equipment; and exhibits demonstrating specific industrial processes.
Institutions that acquire, preserve, research and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of artifacts which relate to the history of medicine and the health sciences. Included may be fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens; medical and surgical instruments from earlier eras; replicas of early operating theaters or other health care venues; materials documenting significant discoveries or innovations in medicine; medical textbooks, archival materials, illustrations and/or photographs; pharmaceuticals; models and interactive exhibits which illustrate the human body, its organs and how each body system works to preserve health; journals and other memorabilia relating to famous scientists and physicians; and medical devices and "cures" associated with quackery. Some medical museums may focus on a particular medical specialty such as women's health, rural medicine or substance abuse; and many have educational programs for school children and other visitors.
Institutions that acquire, preserve, research and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of objects or documents that relate to the history and conduct of warfare. Exhibits may display weaponry, demonstrations of military strategy, relics of famous battles, profiles of individuals who made significant contributions to military history or the advancement of warfare and other similar objects.
Institutions that acquire, preserve, research and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of sheet music, recordings, musical instruments, manuscripts, memorabilia and other materials that are associated with a particular type of music, composer, writer, music group/singer, geographic region, culture or era; or which relate to the history of music in general. Some exhibits may be interactive inviting visitors to touch, listen, and participate in music, song, and dance.
Institutions that acquire, preserve, research and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of objects which have significance in the natural sciences including botany, zoology, geology and physical and cultural anthropology and their subsets which include social anthropology, linguistics, ethnology and archaeology. Natural history exhibits vary widely and may display specimens of specific plants, rocks, minerals and other similar objects; feature fossils, skeletal remains and other paleontological relics; demonstrate specific natural phenomena such as the evaporation cycle or the changing of the seasons; comprise dioramas which contain replicas of birds, mammals, snakes and other creatures in their natural habitats; or display artifacts which illustrate the social structure, language and way of life of earlier peoples.
Park Museums and Visitor Centers
Centers operated by state and national park services or other similar entities which provide information about the wildlife, botany, geology and history of the park; answer questions about scenic drives, hiking, fishing, riding and other park activities; display photographs and artifacts relating to the history of the park and its attractions; mount exhibits of local birds, wildlife, plants and other features of the environment; provide visitor maps and other orientation materials; and answer visitor's questions.
Observatories that maintain telescopes and other instrumentation for astronomical study and often conduct public tours which feature information about the facility's ongoing work as well as educational displays and exhibits of astronomical phenomena. Most observatories also maintain planetariums which have public auditoriums with large domed ceilings on which images of the sun, moon, planets, stars and other celestial bodies are projected by a complex optical instrument that can revolve to show principle celestial motions.
Science and Technology Museums
Institutions including science centers, discovery centers and science/technology museums that develop and maintain permanent and/or traveling educational exhibits which illustrate principles from mathematics and the physical sciences including physics, chemistry, astronomy, telecommunications and related fields or demonstrate technological advances in areas such as robotics or computer science. Exhibits may document specific achievements such as the exploration of space; illustrate a particular natural phenomenon such as the refraction of light; demonstrate inertia, momentum, friction and other basic principles of physics; explain the theory of probability; show specific examples of technological development such as the telephone or solar heating; or demonstrate new technologies such as the use of accelerators to explore the basic components or nature or laser light as a tool in applications ranging from medical science to national defense. Many of these museums provide special programs and interactive exhibits that are designed for children of different ages.
Institutions that acquire, preserve, research and exhibit permanent and/or traveling collections of artifacts which relate to the history of a particular mode of transportation or to transportation in general. Included may be material related to the impact of a particular form of transportation on a specific community or region; historical photographs; memorabilia of famous persons; vehicle models; replicas of notable transportation venues; engines or other sample vehicle parts; and authentic examples or replicas of vehicles from different eras which reflect the museum's specialty. Included may be horse-drawn carriages, antique bicycles, locomotives, dining cars, railway cars, classic and vintage automobiles, motorcycles, fire engines, buses, trolleys, cable cars, airplanes, helicopters, riverboats, vehicles used in motor sports, antique baby carriages and military vehicles.