UNI Museum in Cedar Falls Faces Uncertain Future

After years of service, the current location of University of Northern Iowa’s might soon be history.

For 119 years, University Museums has served the community as a museum and nontraditional classroom. Members of the public can visit the museum free of charge to view exhibitions, while UNI students and faculty can browse the collection of animals, artifacts and fossils for educational and research purposes.

Recently, the UNI administration declared the current building to be in disrepair and unfit to continue housing the valuable collection. So far, a fitting replacement site has not been found, and the budget is insufficient to entirely repair or rebuild the current location.

Jori Wade-Booth, public affairs coordinator for the museum, hopes a replacement can be found.

“Best case scenario, we would have a space for exhibitions so people could still come and visit. We would have a space to store all the objects. And we would have a space to host events, programs, field trips, that sort of thing,” she said, adding that the museum currently reaches between 50,000 and 70,000 visitors a year. That figure is a combined count of visitors and outreach through Internet postings, email, satellite exhibits, publications, traveling trunk rentals and other education materials.

Opened in 1892, the University Museum started as a collection of specimens from science professors and was turned into a museum for student research and opened to the public. Its current location is the third one, which it took up in the 1980s after tenures in Seerley Hall and the industrial building.

“Our role on campus is to serve students for research, an educational experience and as a nontraditional classroom, and we’re here to serve the community for the same reasons,” Wade-Booth said.

According to Wade-Booth, the museum’s place in serving the community has been strong from the beginning.

“People often see museums sort of as an entertainment entity, but what it is truly is a nontraditional classroom,” she said. “There was a time when some could never afford to go to the zoo. And so they would never see an animal up close in a zoo, so we had specimens here that were as close as people at the time were going to get to seeing them. We serve so people could come here and see things that they might not see anyplace else, and see it up close”

Even with the housing problems, there is still a full schedule ahead for the museum.

On exhibit until Jan. 14 is “Talking Textiles,” which showcases fabrics from an array of cultures and discusses the role they played in those societies. Starting Feb. 6 is, “RACE: Are We So Different?” a look at the scientific and cultural aspects of race, which has been on display at prestigious museums such as the Smithsonian.

The museum could use help from the community, in more ways than one.

“Nearly all of our featured exhibits are funded by grants and donations, so we are heavily dependant on support from the community,”  Wade-Booth said, adding that support from UNI primarily goes to the permanent collection that serves for faculty and staff research.

Should the museum not find a home, some worry that education in the community could suffer.

“I used the UNI Museum extensively,” said Marsha Fisher, a retired elementary school teacher. Fisher says that over her 20 years as a Waterloo teacher, she made frequent use of the museum.

“It’s a very educational experience,” said Fisher. “It really broadened their horizons.”

Also, community members with an eye for real estate could contribute a suggestion or two.

“If you have any great ideas, or have seen space anywhere that you think maybe we haven’t thought of, please call and bring it to our attention,” Wade-Booth said about potentially suitable spots for relocation. “We’re happy to hear your ideas. We just want to stay open so the public can continue to visit us.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the museum had 50,000 to 70,000 visitors yearly. It should have read the museum reaches 50,000 to 70,000 people yearly. That figure is a combined count of visitors and outreach through Internet postings, email, satellite exhibits, publications, traveling trunk rentals and other education materials. Updated at 2:05 p.m.