The General Assembly finds that: museums present, interpret, and preserve unusual and significant objects of the State’s heritage for the benefit, enjoyment, and education of the residents of the State; museums are unique and beneficial resources that supplement the State’s educational system; museums are repositories and caretakers of irreplaceable cultural objects for the benefit of today’s generation and generations yet to come; museums, including those located in small communities, play an important and cost-effective role in the State’s leisure time and tourism industry; it is not feasible or desirable to display the entire history and heritage of the State in a single facility at one location; the history and heritage of the State should be displayed and interpreted to the public where the history happened and the heritage arose, so that centers of community pride may be created and tourist activity may be dispersed throughout the State; and the public interest is served by helping museums to become more accessible and by helping residents of the State and visitors to understand the State’s diverse heritage. The General Assembly finds that the public interest is served by establishing a program of financial assistance to support the upgrade, care, research, interpretation, documentation, and display of the State’s irreplaceable museum collections.