Plan for Future of UNI Museums Released

The administration of the will move under the auspices of Rod Library when the building closes its doors July 1.

Jori Wade-Booth, Museum Public Affairs Coordinator, said that means the library will be in charge of overseeing what will remain of the museum's collection after the move.

Current museum director Sue Grosball will stay on until her Jan. 2013 retirement, along with three other staff members. Two staff member positions are being eliminated as of June 29, and Grosball will not be replaced in January.

The closure is part of controversial budget cuts at the , which also include the planned closure of and over 50 academic programs.

With the move, the scope of the museum's mission will be reduced. Educational programming aimed at the public and area K-12 schools will be eliminated.

"We've been having a lot of people come in to say goodbye," Wade-Booth said. "It's been good sharing their memories."

As part of the mission reduction and loss of space, the museum's collection will be downsized.

World cultures materials and items related to Iowa education will be maintained. The biology and geology collections will be scaled back to the highest quality exhibition specimens.

Wade-Booth said the museum would continue to serve as an academic resource to faculty and departments through exhibitions, student internships and lectures for UNI classes.

According to the University Museums website:

The Museums hope to engage UNI student interns, faculty, and emeritus faculty in the refinement process and to provide valuable learning experience for students.

Efforts are underway to identify appropriate space for the refined sub-collections. In addition, an exhibition gallery space to continue changing exhibits will be sought on campus.

The University Museum will be open to the public until June 29. Hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on current exhibits visit www.uni.edu/museum.