I find the recent discussion on "museums without collections" rather
disturbing.  The oft repeated comment on Museum-L that such trends or
institutions are "evil" is highly inappropriate and most uncollegial to
the many fine professionals and institutions who are working to the
betterment of public education. Rather than taking such extreme positions,
might we just take a broader, more humanistic and inclusive view of our
museum profession?

The museum as an institution is continuously evolving--many fine,
collecting institutions which we consider museums today would have been
inconceivable in the 1800s. If one goes back even farther into museum
history, to the Mouseion of Alexandria, which many consider the first
museum and the institution from which we have taken the word "museum", we
would find the most basic function of a museum in operation: Education.
The Mouseion had 4 resident scholars, each of whom was expected to deliver
lectures to the public--at least one of whom represented a field without
objects, mathematics. I think that this informal, public education is the
most fundamental and most eloquent duty which we have inherited from this
ancient tradition. Today, there are many ways in which informal education
can take place--collecting and interpreting collections and through
exhibitions (with or without objects).

I prefer to take a broader view of the meaning of objects:
Objects represent knowledge or the evidence of knowledge. If objects are
taken out of context (i.e., looted) or otherwise have irretrievably lost
their information, then they are worthless as "collections".  But objects
with associated knowledge are not only one way in which knowledge can be
transmitted. Our evolving profession basically is seeing a more
comprehensive view of the role of the exhibition as a medium for
communication--and this is, I think, the underlying issue to many of
the comments on Museum-L.

But if one takes a broader view of "what is a museum" then maybe we can
reach a more inclusive definition:  Why not think of a  "museum" as a
family of non-profit organizations, whose main role is informal education
through the collection and interpretation of collections or through the
exhibition medium.  No definition should be cast in bronze--ready to
defend at all costs. But this type of suggested, working definition brings
together seemingly disparate organizations--planetaria, historic houses,
art museums, science centers, zoos, etc.--all of whom are working in one
way or another towards the preservation and dissemination of knowledge to
the general public through informal (i.e., non-classroom) environment.
This way we respect the hard work of other like-minded professionals
around the world, as well as honoring what the Mouseion of Alexandria was
trying to accomplish.

****************************************************
Dr. Linda Ellis
Director, Museum Studies Program
Professor, Dept. of Classics & Classical Archaeology
San Francisco State University

[log in to unmask]                         postal address:
www.sfsu.edu/~museumst/                 Museum Studies Program
415-338-1612 (office)                   College of Humanities
415-338-7030 (FAX)                      San Francisco State University
                                        1600 Holloway Avenue
                                        San Francisco, CA   94132

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