A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and open to the public that collects, researches, conserves, interprets and exhibits cultural or natural objects of historical, aesthetic or scientific importance. Museums are dedicated to preserving and communicating the primary tangible evidence of human history and the natural world, and are a distinctive form of cultural communication that differs from libraries in that the objects housed are unique.
Museums are diverse in form and content, but all have a common purpose – to educate the public. They can be hushed halls that radiate a musty smell or noisy centers filled with children running hither and thither. They can house revered works of art or collections of living insects. Museums have been founded for a multitude of reasons: to serve as recreational facilities, scholarly venues or educational resources; to stimulate tourism; to promote civic pride or nationalistic endeavour; and sometimes to transmit overtly ideological concepts.
As a result of such diversity, the term museum has no universally accepted definition. Even the International Council of Museums (ICOM) struggles to agree on a single, clear and concise definition.
Whether a museum is a building or an archive of artefacts, it is defined by the people who work in it and their mission. The organization is governed by a board, which sets the direction of the museum and hires staff to implement that vision. The staff are responsible for everything from the hands-on care of the collection to curating exhibitions. They also establish the standards and codes of practice that ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for visitors.
In order to function properly, museums must be financially stable. They can be private, non-profit or state-supported. Non-profit museums are tax-exempt and the money that they make goes directly back into the museum to help pay for things like maintenance and new projects. State-supported museums receive some or all of their income from the state and are required to abide by the laws of the land in which they operate.
Museums come in many shapes and sizes. They can be large, with thousands of objects in their collections and dozens of full-time staff; or they can be small and focused on a single area of interest. They can be located in cities, suburbs or rural areas; and they may be found all over the world.
While some people are quick to dismiss a museum visit as boring, the best ones challenge their visitors with thoughtful exhibitions that transcend time and space. From the Louvre’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibit to the awe-inspiring Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, these museums use carefully curated collections and transcendent exhibitions to inspire people to think differently about culture, history and science. So, if you are one of the many people who has never been to a museum, maybe it’s time to check it out. Who knows, you might find that you enjoy it more than you expect.