A museum ( mew-ZEE-əm) is an institution that displays and preserves objects of significance. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects in public display, and some have private collections that are used by the researchers and specialists. Compared to a library, a museum hosts a much wider ranges of objects and usually focus around a specific theme such as the arts, science, natural history, local history, etc. Public museums that host exhibitions and interactive demonstrations are often considered to be a tourist attraction.
Since the ancient history, museums have been associated with academia and preservation of rare items. Museums originally were just a private collection of interesting things, and only much later did the emphasis on educating and satisfying the public took root.