Language museum tries to avoid becoming history

The National Museum of Language in College Park opened in 2008 as the first of its kind in the United States -- a museum dedicated to teaching the history of the world's languages.

But museum members are worried that a lack of funding could spell the end for an idea that was nearly 40 years in the making.

"We need money," said James McFadden, the museum's treasurer. "Visitors are impressed, but the problem is translating that interest into a membership."

The museum offers free admission and has relied almost entirely upon donations, visitor memberships and occasional government grants since it opened in April 2008 on the second floor of an office building at 7100 Baltimore Ave.

Since its inception, the museum has featured an exhibit tracing the roots of early alphabet languages, such as Arabic, Latin, Greek and Hebrew, as well as one featuring the Chinese and Japanese character-based languages. Interactive displays involve computers, writing and reading.

Parents "may be able to read a book to their children in another language that's not available" in the United States, volunteer Leah Mason said. "It's really nice to have it right here in College Park."

Museum volunteers said they've received positive feedback from residents and visiting school groups, but the museum struggles to pay for rent and resources. A lack of funding, they said, has made it difficult to attract visitors and build the museum's profile through advertising and public relations.

"We need to hire people," said museum founder and president Amelia Murdoch, who came up with the idea for the museum in 1971. There are "so many aspects that need some sort of support activity."

The museum, which is open Tuesdays, Saturdays and the first and third Sundays of each month, pays $2,000 a month to rent its 16-by-24-foot exhibit hall plus a room for a library and office. It has received thousands of dollars in grants to buy computers and fund specific projects, but overhead costs are funded almost entirely through donations.

About 150 museum members pay annual dues ranging from $20 for seniors and students to $5,000 or more for corporate sponsors. The museum needs about 800 members to be self-sustaining, McFadden said, and the next few months will probably determine whether it has potential to grow.

The museum plans to add an exhibit in February that will focus on the differences between American and British language that arose around the War of 1812, as many Americans began spelling some words differently ("color" instead of "colour") and adopting American Indian terms, such as succotash, raccoon, moose and terrapin.

"We've got a lot of ideas," said board of trustees member Gary McCone. "Now it's time to make them concrete."