Online Exhibits and Offerings

ISM Web Offerings: Anthropology

Changes: Dynamic Illinois Environments

Earth forces are continually at work causing change. Climate, land, and living things are all connected. They interact with each other in complex ways. Even a small change can start a chain reaction that, over time, has big effects. Scientists study how Illinois' environment has evolved over the last 500 million years and how it continues to change even today. This online version of the Illinois State Museum's natural history hall explores the scientific evidence for environmental change in Illinois. This is available both as a flash-based interactive version, and also a non-flash version.

Journey to Other Worlds

This Web exhibit presents vintage photographs and articles describing the everyday and shamanistic life among the native people of Siberia. Quicktime images allow viewers to see all sides of artifacts. Learn about the domestic and spiritual life of these little-seen indigenous people of Russia.

MuseumLink Behind the Scenes at the Museum

Behind the Scenes lets students learn about museum careers of curator, preparator, director, resesarch assistant, and other jobs involved with running a museum. It offers descriptions of the ISM collections and research programs in Botany, Zoology, Anthropology, Geology, and Art. There is sections on how to mount an exhibit, how to restore an object, how donations are handled, how exhibit murals are made, and how prehistoric environments and lifeways are reconstructed from evidence. Suggestions are given for students to create an exhibit and research objects.

MuseumLink Native American Module

Learn about the Archaic, Woodland, Late Prehistoric and historic eras of Native American lifeways in Illinois. Lesson plans include the topics of foodways, architecture, clothing, rituals, symbols, and games. This is the most thorough exhibit on the Web of Illinois-related Native American information. Activities are also provided for the Cub Scout and Boy Scout badges.

River Web: American Bottom Landing Site

Web exhibit on the history and anthropology of the American Bottom's landscapes and Native American and Euro-American cultures