WHAT IS A MUSEUM AND WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF A MUSEUM? In the earlier days museums had a very stagnant role of collecting collecting artifacts and displaying them and not going beyond this idealism. idealism. After Globalisation a revolution took place within museum as an institution. It evolved as a centre of education, research, interaction and conservation. The concept changed from displaying to education of not only tangible objects but of intangible objects too. A museum can be defined as non-profit making permanent institution, in the service of society so ciety and its development which acquires, conserves, communicates communicates , exhibits and researches for the purpose of study and education of tangible and intangible evidences of man and its environment. Museums invite people to come and learn all it can, it also researches on various ideologies of how it was, it is and could be. Museums are the centre of world interaction of everything that exists in this world. It is a centre of creativity where there is ongoing process of change and gaining of knowledge. Museum as a centre has various functions and they are as follows; FUNCTIONS OF A MUSEUM The functions of a museum are; Collection/Documentation Collection/Documentation the museum collects collects various objects that that are to be displayed and documented. The collections are based on the theme the museum wants to hold, it may be temporary or permanent in nature. After the collections are done the artifacts are documented by the curator. In this the registration and inventory of all cultural assets are recorded, then the archiving of all types of technical, graphic and audio-visual documentation is done in any format. It also controls and manages the internal and external cultural asset transfers as well as their elimination from museum collections. collections. Acquisition of artifacts is one of the functions of a museum. Exhibition – exhibitions are the part and parcel of the museum. The function of the museum is to hold exhibitions which may be temporary or permanent. Exhibitions are ways through which you can interact with people on many ways. Museums tell people of their culture, communities, societies, art,
creativity, science etc. it is the function of the museum to open all knowledge to the people by showcasing various exhibitions.
Conservation- conservation refers to looking after, repairing and restoring of an object. When objects are acquired and if they are in bad condition it is sent for conservation where it is restored and put up for display. The museums role is to to prevent further deterioration of the artifact after it is acquired. The museum also researches on how the artefact was made and how to conserve it in the future. Research And Publication- The main objective of a museum as a research and documentation centre is to know its collections. Cataloguing of the objects is the first step in research. This first level of analysis of the collections gathers, organises and systematises data referring to its historical context, its material nature, creation techniques, etc. The reorganisation of this data is a basic documentation task that constitutes a first level of analysis and research of the material culture. This primary research makes it possible to set a base to subsequently conduct more indepth studies in order to work out the relationship between the objects and their interpretation Education -Education is defined as the process of experience, generally called learning which brings in desirable changes in human behaviour; with respect to knowledge outstanding skill and attitude. The museum educates people through holding lectures, workshops, exhibitions, fieldwork etc. The education of the masses socially and culturally is one of the main function of a museum. The museums takes the role of uniting a world within itself and exploring the possibilities. Museum objects are important part of the cultural and natural heritage of a country. They act as important means of work and represent the basis of work, an object of research for various technical, social and natural science branches such as botany, zoology, history, art, archaeology, ethnography, etc. objects can make unique contribution to our understanding of the working of indivisuals and societies, in short it can tell more about ourselves. Hence, we collect objects to show illustrative examples of societies and indivisuals. Learning directly from the objects provide a first hand experience to the learners. Sensory experiences form the basis of museum education. This is what the museum provides a way for the people to communicate. So in conclusion we can say that a museum functions together through collection, documentation, conservation, research and education.
