What makes a museum so exceptional?. A museum as described by the Encyclopedia Americana is an institution, “serving the three main functions of collections, preservation, and presentations of objects. Such objects may be specimens of nature, related to geology, astronomy or biology, or they may illustrate the creations of man in history, art or science. The changing emphasis in museum on one or another of these three functions reflects changes in philosophies and way of living. Like other institutions, a museum bears witness to the interests, ambitions, and attitudes of …