ESSAYS ON MUSEUMS AND THEIR THEORY
Towards the cybernetic museum

The Finnish Museums Association has published a collection of essays by
Professor Tomislav Sola. The author is a well-known Croatian
museologist. The books contains his views and ideas from last years.

Tomislav Sola
ESSAYS ON MUSEUMS AND THEIR THEORY
Towards the cybernetic museum
The Finnish Museums Association
Museological Publications 1
ISBN 951-9426-18-3
ISSN 1239-9841
Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy, Saarijärvi 1997
293 pages, price 180 FIM + handling & bank charge FIM 50 + postage

Table of contents:

0       FOREWORD

I       INTRODUCTION
        1. Six questions of an interested layman
        2. Identity ­ a reflection on a crucial problem for museums
        3. The prologue to a cybernetic museum

II      THE MUSEUM INSTITUTION
        1. An introduction to the critique of museums
        2. Old and new
        3. Museums and development
        4. The role of museums in developing countries
        5. Science and technology museums
        6. Regional museums in multiethnic society

III     MUSEUMS AND THE USERS
        1. Museums in cultural and social evolution
        2. From education to communication
        3. The public use of museums ­ a view upon the context
        4. The educational role of art museums
        5. Museums and the needs of people
        6. From interpretation to communication

IV      MUSEUMS AND CURATORSHIP
        1. Museum professionals ­ the endangered species
        2. Museums and curatorship ­ the role of theory
        3. New professionals in the age of synthesis
        4. Museum ethics and museology

V       THE TIME FOR THEORY
        1. Towards a modern concept of museology
        2. The concept and nature of museology
        3. The limited reach of museology, or could museology stand a sandstorm
or tropical rain?
        4. What is museology?
        5. The future of museums and the role of museology
        6. An introduction to mnemosophy as the general theory of heritage
        7. Definitions and revisions ­ towards the total museum
        8. Can theory help and be pro-active?
        9. Making the total museum possible

VI      CONCLUSION
        1. Beyond the sharing of knowledge
        2. Seven questions that most often perplex my students (and my attempt
to Help Them with Short Answers)


If you are interested in ordering the book, please contact:
The Finnish Museums Association
Annankatu 16 B 50
FIN-00120 Helsinki
FINLAND
tel +358-9-649 001
fax +358-9-608 330
mailto:[log in to unmask]

With best regards
Hilkka Vallisaari
Information Officer
The Finnish Museums Association