Early in 1986, the author received a request from the Ministry of Culture and Popular Education of Gabon to study and evaluate the problems of preservation and conservation of the collections of the National Museum of Arts and Traditions in Libreville and the Albert Schweitzer Museum in Lambarene. A schedule had been arranged by the administrator of the National Museum who proved to be well-informed on museum practices and who provided an appropriate setting for the visit. In this paper a history of the National Museum of Gabon is given. Current conditions, problems, and solutions are described. Some thoughts on environmental requirements for collections, problems faced by museum professionals in Europe and North America, and use of museum collections in Africa are addressed.