Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§9172 Definitions

Title 20 › CHAPTER 72 — MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES › SUBCHAPTER III — MUSEUM SERVICES › § 9172

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines two words used in this subchapter. Museum — a public, tribal, or private nonprofit place that exists permanently to teach or preserve culture or beauty, uses professional staff, cares for and regularly shows physical and digital collections; this covers places like aquariums, botanical gardens, art and children’s museums, historic sites, science centers, planetariums, and zoos. State — the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §9172

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

As used in this subchapter:
(1)Museum
The term “museum” means a public, tribal, or private nonprofit agency or institution organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes, that utilizes a professional staff, owns or utilizes tangible objects, cares for the tangible objects, and exhibits the tangible objects to the public on a regular basis. Such term includes museums that have tangible and digital collections and includes aquariums, arboretums, botanical gardens, art museums, children’s museums, general museums, historic houses and sites, history museums, nature centers, natural history and anthropology museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, specialized museums, and zoological parks.
(2)State
The term “State” means each of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 273 of Pub. L. 94–462 was renumbered section 274 and is classified to section 9173 of this title.

Amendments

2018—Par. (1). Pub. L. 115–410, § 17(2), inserted “, cultural heritage,” after “educational”. Pub. L. 115–410, § 17(1), which directed insertion of “, tribal,” after “public”, was executed by making the insertion after “public” the first time appearing, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 2010—Par. (1). Pub. L. 111–340 inserted “includes museums that have tangible and digital collections and” after “Such term”. 2003—Par. (1). Pub. L. 108–81, § 302, inserted at end: “Such term includes aquariums, arboretums, botanical gardens, art museums, children’s museums, general museums, historic houses and sites, history museums, nature centers, natural history and anthropology museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, specialized museums, and zoological parks.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 9172

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110