In 2002-2003, the Museum Loan Network collaborated with the fifth grade class at The Haggerty School in Cambridge, MA to explore how the MLN Directory could enrich social studies curriculum and, ultimately, help demystify museums for students. Throughout eight sessions, the students considered the idea of the museum and explored the relationships between specific museum objects found on the Directory and the topics they studied, including West African Kingdoms, Native American Nations, and Colonial American history.

To begin, the students explored their concepts of an ideal museum and described them through drawings and models. Next, the class searched the MLN Directory for objects relevant to their lessons. The students participated in a number of visits to museums, including a behind-the-scenes visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. At the Museum, the students observed objects first hand and responded with drawings of their own. The success of the partnership between the MLN and The Haggerty School confirmed the potential of the MLN Directory to provide a gateway between the classroom and the museum experience.