The Major Functions of a Museum

1) Documentation
A Museum needs to keep information about objects, such as where they come from,
who gave them to the museum, who used them and what they used them for. This
information makes the objects much more useful.
Collections are documented so that:
 staff know where they are and what they have
 staff know what their storage and security needs are
 staff know their insurance needs
 staff know whether or not they want to collect something when it is offered to them
 they can be used for research
 they can be used for exhibitions and displays
 they can be used for other educational work.
There are three kinds of records used in documentation:
1. initial documentation when an object comes into the museum for loan, identification,
acquisition, or anything else
2. item documentation which is a full record of all available information about the object
3. control documentation which is a record of the movement and location of the object.

Characteristics of good documentation:

 is easy to add to or change
 is capable of keeping some information confidential
 is capable of making some information easily available to everyone
 allows for cross-referencing between the different kinds of records
 can be used for all sorts of items
Records can be kept on cards, in registers and /or on computer date bases. These card records
can be digitized.

2. Conservation
Conservation involves looking after objects, repairing and restoring them as necessary.
Conservators have to think about the environment in which objects are stored or displayed,
particularly:
 the light levels and the length of time objects are exposed to the light
 the temperature they are kept in
 the relative humidity of the air - is it dry or moist?
 the effects of changes in temperature and /or relative humidity
 air pollution
 insect attacks on objects
 the effects of handling on objects
Conservation is also concerned with packaging and transporting objects and the storage
systems that are used. Conservation staff are important members of exhibition teams too.
They work to ensure objects are put on display in ways that minimise the likely damage.

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3. Research
Research is "detailed and careful investigation into some subject or area of study with
the aim of discovering and applying new facts or information " (Chambers 21st Century
Dictionary, Pub. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. 1999).
The distinctive thing about museum-based research is that it is based on collections.
But whatever their size, all museums have a responsibility to research their collections and
make them available for others to research. Such research has two key outcomes:
 advancement of human knowledge and understanding
 individual empowerment via access to knowledge

4. Exhibition
Museums exhibit to provide the objects and information necessary for visitors to learn
and have an enjoyable experience. Exhibitions can also help support the museum financially;
admissions income provides part of the museums funding in museums that charge for entry,
and the level of admissions is greatly influenced by the quality of exhibitions.

6. Education
The education function of museums is about enabling learning with people of all ages,
from under 5s to older people, people from diverse backgrounds and in a variety of settings,
formal, informal, and self-directed. It embraces learning from museum buildings, sites,
documentation, research and, most importantly, collections.
An important means that museum use to fulfil their education function is to produce
effective exhibitions that respond to audiences learning needs. (Developing Museum
Exhibitions for Life-long Learning" by Gail Durbin for the group for Education in Museums,
published by HMSO, 1996, is an excellent source of more information on this topic). The use
of a variety of media to communicate in response to different people's preferred learning
styles supports museums' education function. Videos, interactive exhibits, audio guides,
guided tours, active computer interfaces are all important tools to help develop museum
learning.
Museum education may also encompass specific programmes for learners, such as
schools handling sessions with museum objects, art/craft workshops for families,
reminiscence sessions for frail older people, material culture seminars for postgraduate
students, training programmes for volunteers.
A range of museum publications can further this function. These may vary from
books about collection research to worksheets for school pupils, site guide books to teachers'
resource packs, exhibition catalogues to Friends' newsletters.
The museum education function extends beyond the physical constraints of the
museum building. Museums may extend their activities to wider audiences through
programmes such as travelling exhibitions, lectures and talks to local groups and societies,
workshops in community venues. Outreach is particularly important for museums that are
tackling social exclusion - "a shorthand label for what can happen when individuals or areas
suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low
incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown".
Exclusion from museums can take many forms. It is about lack of access to power,

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knowledge, services, facilities, choice and opportunity. It includes people who are excluded
because of physical disabilities, learning differences, rural location, social, economic,
professional and ethnic background.
The education staff are qualified and experienced teachers from different education
sectors, including adult education. Their primary role is to develop learning opportunities
from the Museum's collections (including its buildings) with wide and varied audiences.
This is achieved through:
 education programmes
 work with exhibitions
 evaluation
 training
 marketing

Education programmes
These are available at all of the service's museums and provision is made for both
formal education groups and people learning in an informal manner, for example as part of a
family visit. Developing programmes for life-long learning has been a key objective for the
department over the last five years. Wherever possible programmes involve 'active' learning,
so participants are encouraged to interact with museum collections, and develop
understanding through 'doing'. This may be, for example: through handling objects to learn
about their function, materials, construction, etc; art or craft workshops relevant to the
museum collections, such as hurdle making or life-drawing classes; activity sheets or creative
writing classes based on an exhibition of paintings.
Outreach programmes are available for people who would find it difficult to visit the
museums for physical or cultural reasons. For example: education officers have worked with
family literacy groups whose participants would not usually visit museums; education
officers visit residential homes and day centres with museum objects to support reminiscence
and life skills work; talks are provided for many local groups and societies in rural locations.

Pre-school children's programmes

Museums should develop programming for under-fives and their carers, where
children have the opportunity to explore museum objects on a theme relevant to them, such as
'homes' and participate in art and craft activities that relate to the theme. Similar sessions are
organised for nursery classes and playgroups.

School programmes
These are developed with teachers in response to curriculum needs. In the UK and the
US, resources for history and art are still the most requested and needs are met in a variety of
ways: handling sessions; living history events; guided tours; worksheets; resource packs;
workshops; discussion groups etc. Similar programmes have been developed in other
curriculum areas, especially science, over the last three years. Museum staff work with
teachers to integrate literacy activities into its work with schools and this work will obviously
develop over the years.

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 In-service training for teachers is an important aspect of a museum's work. This takes
the form of teachers' courses related to particular topics or exhibitions, input into teachers' in-
service training days and advisory visits.

Adult programmes The education department in a museum should provide talks and lectures
for adults. Recent developments include programmes that involve much greater interaction
between users and the collections and working in partnership with other adult providers.

Work with exhibitions and displays Education staff can only work directly with a
proportion of museum visitors, so their role on exhibition and display teams is vital to
develop the learning opportunities offered by a museum. This role has grown to embrace
visitor services in the broadest sense, since people learn most effectively when they are
comfortable. Education staff act as visitor advocates on all the teams they are involved in,
concerned with issues like ICT developments, light levels, provision of seating, access for
wheelchair users, access for groups, nappy changing facilities etc. as well as the more
obvious 'learning' issues like reading levels, intellectual access to information, provision for
different learning styles through visual, auditory tactile stimulation and opportunities to
interact with exhibitions.

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