In search of identity: The university museum as a research question (1960s–2020)

Abstract

The article focuses on the reconstruction of the research understanding of the “university museum” concept. University museums originated at the end of the 17th century as rooms for teaching students. Over time, university museums were eventually opened to the public and included in the missionary activities of a university. They also began to serve as an intermediary between the closed university and the community. The museums became “a shop window for universities, a source of prestige and pride which contributes to the quality of life within a university”. For 50 years researchers have been discussing the uniqueness of university museums and the problems they face. The close connection with the academic sphere, direct access to the knowledge and skills of scientists, the traditions of scientific schools, research and publications, makes university museums unique in comparison to other museums. One of the important problems is the correlation between university and public in university museums. It includes the distinction between university and public museums, the professionalization of university museum staff, attracting visitors and sponsors, and the degree of dependence of the exhibition policy of university museums on society and the state. The theoretical understanding of the problems of university museums has provoked the organization of national and international associations dedicated to solving practical issues and popularizing university collections.