Basic knowledge of museums
1, what is a museum:
Museums are permanent institutions that are open to the public, serve the society and social development, and are not for profit. For the purpose of research, education and appreciation. Collect, preserve, study, disseminate and display the witness of human beings and their environment.
The social function of museums;
1. Collection and preservation of cultural relics specimens and other physical materials
2. Disseminating scientific and cultural knowledge
3. Carry out patriotic ideological and moral education.
4. Scientific research
5. Enrich people's scientific and cultural life.
Characteristics of museums
On the basis of physical objects, organize image display and conduct intuitive publicity and education. The combination of materiality, intuition and scholarship constitutes the remarkable characteristics of the museum.
Types of museums (* * * can be divided into five categories):
History museum, memorial museum, culture and art museum, natural science museum, comprehensive museum.
To some extent, understanding the past and present of a place begins with the museum. Museum is a history of materialization. People overlook the ups and downs of history through the dialogue between cultural relics and history and the barrier of time and space. Since childhood, this is an important witness to the long history of the local area; In a great sense, this is the spiritual bond to maintain the unity and unity of the Chinese nation. Museums are not only places for citizens to learn culture, but more importantly, they should be one of the main places for citizens to relax. Knowledge is somewhat secondary. The main purpose of coming to the museum is to enjoy the rare quiet and elegant atmosphere and relax the tense heartstrings in work and study. Cultural relics in museums are displayed, displayed, publicized and served, which realizes the dialogue between history and modern people and becomes an important part of urban cultural facilities. Museums play a very important role in the management of human cultural heritage and natural heritage.
Ethnicity
Museum phenomenon originated from people's collection consciousness. More than 4000 years ago, the rulers of Egypt and Mesopotamia paid attention to finding treasures and treasures.
In the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great of Macedonia, in the military action of building a great empire across Europe, Asia and Africa, handed over many precious works of art and rare antiquities collected and plundered to his teacher Aristotle for sorting out and studying. Aristotle used these cultural heritages to teach and spread knowledge. After Alexander's death, his subordinate Ptolemy Soto established a new dynasty, continued to fight in the south and north, and collected more works of art. In the third century BC, Ptolemy Soto established a Muse Temple in Alexandria, Egypt, to collect cultural treasures. This "Muse Temple" is recognized as the earliest "museum" in human history. The word museum evolved from the Greek word "muse".
Different from the museum we see today, the Muse Temple is actually a specialized research institution, with a hall research room displaying astronomical, medical, cultural and artistic collections, where scholars gather for research work. Legend has it that Archimedes, a famous physicist who discovered the law of buoyancy when taking a bath, and Euclid, a famous mathematician, are both engaged in research work here.
The Muse Temple, the earliest museum in human history, was destroyed by war in the 5th century.
Modern museums appeared in the late17th century. In the18th century, there was an English doctor, hans sloane, who was a collector with a wide range of interests. In order to make his collection "complete and inseparable" forever, he decided to donate nearly 80 thousand pieces of his collection to the British royal family. The royal family decided to build a national museum. 1753, the British Museum was established, becoming the first large museum open to the public in the world.
1946, the international museum association was established in Paris, France. 1974, the association defined the orientation of the museum, and public welfare became its primary responsibility.
Since 1977, the International Association of Museums has designated May 18 as "International Museum Day" every year, and determined a theme every year. This year is the 22nd International Museum Day, with the theme of "Museums-Bridges to Communicate Cultures".
No matter how splendid civilization people have had before, they will all be lost in the dust of history without exception. Human beings are constantly creating civilization, but civilization cannot live forever-this is an eternal law. However, we can still find traces of these civilizations in some way, and this way is the museum.
There is another saying: as a word, "natural history" first appeared in Shan Hai Jing, which means that many things can be identified; Shangshu said that knowledgeable and knowledgeable people are "natural history gentlemen"; "Han Shu Chu Yuan Wang Chuanzan" also means "make the past serve the present". /kloc-In the second half of the 9th century, China imitated Japanese and began to use the word "natural history" as the name of a subject. "Natural History" includes knowledge of animals, plants, minerals and physiology.
"Museum" and "Museum" as a word as a cultural and educational institution appeared relatively late in China, only more than one hundred years. The word "natural history" in Japanese comes from the word "museum" commonly used in English, French and German, while this word from Latin comes from the word "meuse" in Greek, which means the place dedicated to the nine goddesses in charge of poetry, dance, music, art and science in Greek mythology.
In ancient Greece, there was also an institution dedicated to the preservation of treasures, similar to the nature of modern museums. This is a collection organization dedicated to preserving printed matter, jewels, royal flags and scepters and other precious decorations. This treasure house has also been found in other European countries. Until the Renaissance, with the expansion of the collection, some primitive treasures gradually used the popular Latin museum at that time. In Munich, Germany, two museums with different names have existed for a long time. With the changes of the times and the development of social education, the museum with a changed name and expanded scale gradually replaced the original treasure house and eventually became a popular museum open to the masses today. Museum type
With the development of social culture and science and technology, the number and types of museums are increasing. The classification of museums is mainly based on the nature and characteristics of museum collections, exhibitions and educational activities. Secondly, it is the source of funds and the clients.
■ Foreign museums
Foreign museums, mainly western museums, are generally divided into four categories: art museums, history museums, science museums and thematic museums.
▲ Art museums, including painting, sculpture, decorative art, practical art and industrial art museums. There are also museums, including antiques, folk customs and primitive art. Some art galleries also display modern art, such as movies, plays and music. World-famous art museums include Louvre Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tashi Museum in Elmy.
▲ Historical museums, including museums of national history and cultural history, and museums built on archaeological sites, historical sites or ancient battlefields also belong to this category. The National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico and the National Museum of Anthropology in Peru are famous historical museums.
▲ Science museums, including natural history museums. Museums covering celestial bodies, plants, animals, minerals and natural sciences, as well as practical and technical sciences also belong to this category. The British Museum of Natural History, the American Museum of Natural History and the Discovery Palace in Paris all belong to this category.
▲ Featured museums, including open-air museums, children's museums and local museums. The latter covers the nature, history and art of this area. Famous ones include Brooklyn Children's Museum and Scanson Open-air Museum.
▲ The International Museum Association classifies zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, nature reserves, science centers and planetariums, as well as long-term storage institutions and exhibition halls in libraries and archives.
■ China Museum
Before 1988, China museums were divided into three categories: specialized museums, memorial museums and comprehensive museums, and the National Bureau of Statistics also published the development figures according to these three categories of museums.
The competent departments and experts of China Museum believe that at this stage, it is appropriate to divide China Museum into four types: history, art, science and technology and comprehensive according to the classification commonly used in the world and the actual situation in China:
▲ Historical museums display their collections from a historical perspective, such as China History Museum, Chinese Revolution Museum, Xi 'an Banpo Ruins Museum, Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors Museum, Quanzhou Overseas Traffic History Museum, Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum, Beijing Lu Xun Museum, Shaoshan Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, and the First National Congress of China Producers' Party.
▲ Art museums mainly display the artistic and aesthetic values of the collections, such as the Palace Museum, Nanyang Han Painting Museum, Guangdong Folk Crafts Museum, Beijing Dazhong Temple Ancient Bell Museum, Xu Beihong Memorial Hall, Tianjin Theatre Museum, etc.
▲ Museums of Nature and Science display nature in a classified, developed or ecological way, and display macro or micro scientific achievements in a three-dimensional way, such as geological museum, Beijing Museum of Natural History, Zigong Dinosaur Museum, Taiwan Province Insect Science Museum, Science and Technology Museum, and Liuzhou Bailiandong Cave Science Museum.
▲ Comprehensive museums comprehensively display local natural, historical, revolutionary and artistic collections, such as Nantong Museum, Shandong Provincial Museum, Hunan Provincial Museum, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Museum, Heilongjiang Provincial Museum and Gansu Provincial Museum.
3. What is a museum?
What is a museum?
Peter Woodhead, Jeffrey? Translation: stanfield Song Xiangguang
The word "museum" comes from the ancient Greek word "mouseion", which originally meant "the place of thinking" or "the throne of the muse". In Roman times, "museum" refers to a place for philosophical discussion. Lewis's research tells us that the word "museum" was re-used in the15th century, when it was used to refer to the private collection of "The Great Lorenzo", a member of medici family who ruled Florence during the Renaissance. In the17th century, "museum" was widely used to refer to the collection of private connoisseurs. /kloc-After the 0/8th century, the meaning of "museum" has changed obviously, mainly referring to those cultural institutions specializing in the protection and display of social collections.
At the end of18th century, the term "museum" was defined as a building for storing and displaying cultural heritage projects, not just focusing on the collection itself. In recent years, with the development of open-air museums and "ecological museums", the importance of architectural elements in the definition of museums has gradually weakened because the collections of such museums include not only a large number of physical objects, but also many buildings. In contemporary times, it is generally believed that the term "museum" also includes "art museum".
In history, people have used other words, which are often used as synonyms for museums. The word "gallery" was widely used in16th century. It originated from the Italian word "galleria", which is used to refer to those rooms with rectangular planes, and is usually used to display paintings and statues. It is different from the Italian word "museo". "Museum" refers to a place mainly used for displaying bronze vessels, carved artworks and other rare artworks. The word "secret room" is used to describe the private collection of connoisseurs and the room where decorative works of art are stored. There are also some proper nouns in German to distinguish natural specimen collection, art collection and historical specimen collection.
Due to various forms of social and cultural institutions that call themselves "museums", it is difficult for people to grasp their similarities. At present, the accepted definition of a museum can be found in the constitution of the International Museum Association, which was adopted at the 1 1 General Assembly of the International Museum Association held in Copenhagen, Denmark. This definition is:
"(Museum) is a non-profit permanent institution that serves the society and social development and is open to the public. They collect, preserve, study, disseminate and display physical evidence about human beings and their living environment for research, education and appreciation purposes. "
The definition of a museum has many uses. The definition of museum adopted by museum professional organizations is mainly used to stipulate the qualifications that group members should have. With the passage of time, a more accurate definition of a museum has been accepted by these groups. Its main function is to stipulate the functions of the museum in the working standards and to examine the qualifications of the museum. It is also an important step to promote the establishment of professional standards. The British Museum Association adopted the definition of museum that is still in use today in 1984:
"Museums are institutions that collect, record, protect, display and explain information related to physical evidence for the public interest."
This definition was accepted by the British Museum and Art Gallery Committee in 1988 as the definition of "museum" in the National Museum Registration Method drafted by the Committee.
The definition of museum adopted by American Museum Association in 1962 is:
"(Museums) are non-profit permanent institutions, and their main purpose is not to hold temporary exhibitions. It should be exempt from federal and state income tax, open to the society, managed by institutions representing social interests, and preserve, protect, study, interpret, collect and display articles with educational and appreciation functions and specimens with educational and cultural values, including artistic works, scientific specimens (organic and inorganic), historical relics and industrial and technological products for the benefit of society. Institutions that meet the above definition also include botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums, planetariums, historical and cultural societies, historical buildings and sites with the above characteristics. "
The definition of "museum" in the "Museum Qualification Examination Method" formulated by American Museum Association 1970 is slightly different here.
It should be reminded that all the above definitions of museums have additional explanatory clauses, which further stipulate some words in the definition text. In addition, the definition of a museum often changes slightly to reflect the changes in the cause and environment of the museum. It should also be clear that the above definition of museum refers to public museums, that is, museums supported by public funds. However, many private museums and "independent" museums also apply the above definition. We should remember the fact that public museums are the product of modern society, and many contemporary public museums are originated from private collections, mainly to satisfy the personal interests of collectors.
What is Museology?
It seems that the origin of the study of museology can be traced back to the discussion on the working methods of museums in the18th century, the most important of which is the Museum Technology written by Nikolias (1727), which discusses the classification, protection and resources of collections.
Although the research on the history of museum science is not sufficient and there is a lack of monographs in this field, the initial situation and development of museum science research have begun to be discussed in some countries. Tiller, the first doctor of museology in Leicester University, England, wrote his doctoral thesis entitled Museology and its Tradition: British Experience, 1845- 1945. This paper reviews the history of British museology research. Similar research work has been carried out in Cashman (1984) and Malte (1987) in the United States. These studies show that the early work of museum science research is mainly carried out by individual museum staff, and their pioneering spirit and achievements have been widely discussed and described.
The term "Museology" has not been used for a long time, and the professional courses of Museology in universities began in the 1960s. "Museology" is a relatively general vocabulary, including two main contents: museology and museum technology. It can also be said that it is a science to study all aspects of the theory and method of museum work. Lewis once pointed out that the terms museum science and museum technology appeared earlier. For example 1776 Mendes? De? Kauste used the term "museum technician" in his works. 1878, a magazine about museum science was published in Dresden, Germany. In 1972, the International Museum Association interprets "museology" and "museum technology" as follows:
"Museology is about the science of museums. It devotes itself to studying the development history and background of museums, the role of museums in society, the specific organizational forms of museum research, collection protection, education and organization, the relationship with the natural environment, and the classification of different types of museums. In short, museology is a branch discipline, which mainly studies the purpose and organization of museums. "
"Museum technology is a collection of technical methods related to museum science, including methods and practical operations in all aspects of museum work."
Contemporary museology embodies two basic and interrelated functions of museums, one is to collect and protect natural specimens and cultural relics, and the other is closely related to this, that is, to enable the public to contact and use these objects through activities such as exhibition, education and interpretation, so as to achieve the purpose of education and appreciation.
In recent years, the theory and time of museum collection management have gradually improved one of the main contents of museum science, and its content has become increasingly complex. This is because museums must abide by more and more international and national regulations, agreements, conventions and guidelines on collection activities and ownership transfer of cultural property. The emphasis on the management of museum collections also reflects that the local public is increasingly concerned about cultural institutions supported by public funds.
Some "high, refined and sophisticated" science and technology are increasingly adopted by museums, which have had an important impact on the management of museum collections, especially in the expansion of the scope of collection preservation. Although collection preservation has always been regarded as one of the components of collection management, in recent years, collection preservation has gradually developed into a specialized discipline with experts, training courses, professional organizations and academic theories. The content of collection preservation has also changed obviously, from focusing on the maintenance and repair of items to "preventive collection preservation"; And from adjusting the museum environment (light, climate and environmental factors) to minimizing the deterioration of collections caused by environmental factors. Collection protection has developed into a specialized subject. For example, the International Museum Collection Preservation Committee, established in 1987, belongs to the International Exposition Association and has 25 working groups covering different categories of museum collections and different aspects of collection preservation.
In addition, there has also been a revolution in the management of museum collections and the reproduction of collection information, which is the result of the use of electronic computers, which is also a major part of museum work and has gradually developed into a specialized subject. Special organizations, training courses and regular academic journals have been organized.
With the public paying more and more attention to the cause of museums, museums pay more attention to public services, which makes some scholars begin to pay attention to the study of museum visitors and their reactions to museums and activities organized by museums. Recent research projects include demographic research, research on the motivation and behavior of museum visitors (non-visitors), and attempts to measure the influence of exhibition design technology and architectural features on the audience's appreciation, learning and activity motivation. As early as the late 1920s and mid-1930s, some American scholars began to study these aspects, but after a long time, the research in this area stopped. It was not until the sixties of this century that the evaluation and research on the effects of commercial and temporary exhibitions were resumed, and they were conducted by scholars outside the museum. Now, many museums have taken the evaluation of their exhibitions and activities as their daily work, and the full-time staff of the museum are responsible for it. One of the signs of paying more and more attention to evaluation is the establishment of 1985 International Museum Audience Research Library.
The realization of various functions of museums must rely on perfect organization and management. Museum management includes collection management, building and equipment management and personnel management. The research on the management of museum premises has been going on for many years, and the first monograph was published in 1950. Although most of the relevant monographs published in recent years are mainly in the form of architecture, more and more people have noticed the function of museum architecture, that is, how to improve the safety and storage conditions of collections, provide suitable facilities for the public, and meet the needs of various museum activities.
Organization of Museology Project
It is quite difficult to determine a perfect organization method of museum science research topics. 1946, ICOM compiled the classification method of museum books and documents as an extension of the museum items in the Library of Congress Book Classification. ICOM's book classification has been revised and expanded many times, and this method has also been adopted in the International Catalogue of Museology compiled by ICOM every year, which includes eight main items:
General museum science,
Protect cultural heritage and natural sites,
Museums and society,
Museums (management, personnel, architectural design and equipment),
Museum collections (collection, archive collection, research, preservation and protection),
Museums, communication and interpretation (public, exhibition, educational and cultural activities),
Museum type,
Activities of national and international museum associations.
Another way to organize the research topic of museum science comes from the museum training course plan. The ICOM Staff Training Corps and the ICOM Staff Training Committee have worked out the ICOM Basic Teaching Outline for training museum professionals (1980). This syllabus has been widely used, although it usually needs to be slightly modified according to the actual situation. This "basic syllabus" includes nine main items:
Introduction to Museology: History and Purpose of Museums,
Organization, work and management of museums,
Museum architecture, layout and equipment,
Museum collections: sources, related records, restoration and disposal,
Scientific research work, research,
Protection and management of museum collections,
Display: display,
The public,
Cultural and educational activities in museums.
The Department of Museology of Leicester University adopted a concise method when compiling the syllabus "Learning Points of Museology" and related reference materials, namely:
Museum background: It involves the philosophical, historical and realistic background of the museum, including the organization, law, customers and characteristics of the museum.
Museum collection management: It involves many aspects of collection protection and management, including collection guide, laws and regulations, collection methods, collection archives, collection warehouse, safety insurance, research and utilization, etc.
Museum management: including the composition and responsibilities of museum management institutions, museum staff, museum premises and site selection, equipment and materials, working funds, etc.
Museum services: It mainly focuses on various forms of services provided by museums to the public, including exhibition guides and practices, museum education services, museum information services, "Friends of the Museum", volunteers and commercial activities.
The Relationship between Museology and Other Subjects
Because people look at museums from different angles, it is very important that museology should reflect these different viewpoints. For example, some people think that museums are part of the art cause and are closely related to drama and music. This understanding is reflected in the inclusion of museum content in many art career management courses; However, some people think that museums belong to the cause of cultural heritage protection and are closely related to organizations responsible for the management and protection of nature reserves, historical sites, historical buildings, historical sites and memorial sites, because museum collections can only be fully understood and recognized in the "original place". Others think that museums should belong to tourism or leisure industry, especially those that attract a large number of tourists. For those museums whose educational functions are brought into full play, it seems that they should be regarded as a special department in education.
Museology is closely related to some professional disciplines, such as art, archaeology, biology, botany and geography. For example, a manager of archaeological collections will regard himself as an archaeologist working in a museum; Art collectors will consider themselves art historians, not just museum collectors.
In addition, many branches of museum science must be closely dependent on other related disciplines. For example, the preservation of museum collections is rooted in chemistry and physics; The research of museum architecture originates from architecture; The research of museum display has absorbed many theoretical and educational achievements. In view of the fact that it is difficult to distinguish the branches of museum science from related disciplines, some researchers believe that museum science is not a completely independent specialized discipline. We won't discuss this problem here. It is important that people have realized that museum science is closely related to other related disciplines and cannot be separated from them.
The original text is contained in the museum science data set.