Visitors can still take selfies but must ‘leave the sticks in their bags’ in line with similar policies at other museums and galleries

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The Smithsonian Institution, which includes 19 museums and galleries, has banned the use of selfie sticks by visitors.

“For the safety of our visitors and collections the Smithsonian prohibits the use of tripods or monopods in our museums and gardens. Effective today, 3 March, monopod selfie sticks are included in this policy,” the institution said in a statement.

This is a preventive measure to protect visitors and objects, especially during crowded conditions. We encourage museum visitors to take selfies and share their experiences – and leave the selfie sticks in their bags.

The announcement follows the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum banning selfie sticks.

“The policy was put into place when Cooper Hewitt reopened to the public on 12 December 2014, following a three-year renovation and restoration of its home in the landmark Andrew Carnegie Mansion,” Laurie Oliviery Bohlk, a spokeswoman for the museum, told the Guardian. The museum had been closed for nearly three years.

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After considering the matter the Metropolitan Museum of Art also decided in February to ban selfie sticks.

Other museums, like the New York Museum of Sex and the Museum of Modern Art, were quicker off the mark. “For the safety of our visitors and the museum’s works of art we have never permitted visitors to take photos with any camera-extension devices,” a MoMa spokesperson told the Guardian. Likewise, the Museum of Sex has always required visitors to keep their sticks sheathed.