I forwarded the definition posted by Harry to members of the South African
Museums Association here in South Africa and received this response from one
of them. I forward it to the list for comment.

Glyn

Hi Glyn - maybe you could circulate this response too!

Further to Rosemary Silvester's definition of a museum and subsequent comments.

The definition still restricts us to an understanding of museums in terms of
the functions that they perform i.e. conservation, education, etc. It does
not adequately address the question of purpose, i.e. why museums do what
they do. We probably all make assumptions about why museums do what they do.
But are these assumptions shared with our colleagues or the public?  Museum
functions are not an end in themselves, they are a means by which we achieve
a (generally unstated) purpose. Do museums in fact share a common purpose,
or is the purpose defined by the time and context in which the museum
performs its functions?

Any suggestions..........?

 Jo-Anne Duggan
Box 253, Oranjemund, Namibia
Phone 09264 63 233702 (h) 083 308 2682 (cell)
Fax c/o 09264 63 235546
e-mail [log in to unmask]