1.

Defining a term Museum

The word museum has gone through several forms, changes, definitions and interpretations.
Etymologically the Latin word museum is derived from the Greek mouseion, shrine of the
muses. (www. http:/icom. museum/definition)
In fact, the word muse is a derivation from the muses in Greek mythology. These were the nine
daughters of Zeus who presided over arts and learning including history, poetry, music, tragedy
and comedy, astronomy, --- etc. From these muses came the Greek word mouseion, meaning
“places of the Muses”, and the English usage of the word “museum”. (ICOM: 2004:12)
According to the oxford Greek-English dictionary the word “muse” literally means to ‘cogitate’,
‘meditate’, ‘think’, ‘dream’, ‘ponder’, ‘contemplate’ and ‘deliberate’. In relation to this meaning,
for more than two millenniums, people have created places where very special and valuable
objects, artifacts, and works of art provide the milieu for “musing” and have called these places
museums.
Professionally the definition of a museum has been changing in many times with diverse theories
and concepts. The international council of museum (ICOM) has revised its museum definition in
different times.
In the 1946 ICOM’s definition the word museum includes “all collections open to the public, of
artistic, technical, scientific, historical or archeological material including zoos and botanical
gardens, but excluding libraries, except in so far as they maintain permanent exhibition rooms”.
[www. http:/icom. museum/definition]
 Whereas the 1956, ICOM’s museum definition is read as “any permanent establishment,
administered in the general interest for the purpose of preserving, studying, enhancing by
various menses and, in particular, of exhibiting to the public for its delectation and
instruction groups of objects and specimens of cultural value artistic, historical, scientific,
and technological collections, botanical and zoological gardens and aquariums. Public
libraries and public archival institutions maintaining permanent exhibition rooms shall be
considered to be museums.” [www. http:/icom. museum/definition]
 The 1961 ICOM’s declaration recognized “any permanent institution, which conserves
and displays, for purpose of study, education and enjoyment, collections of objects of
cultural or scientific significance as a museum.” [www. http:/icom. museum/definition]
  The recent version of ICOM’s museum definition is the 2001. The previous museum
definition is again revised as “a non- profit making permanent institution in the service of
society and of its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves,
researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment,
material evidence of people and their environment.” [www. http:/icom.
museum/definition]
 The American Association of Museums, on the other hand define a museum as
“Institution that collects, safeguard and make accessible artifacts and specimens, which
they hold in trust for society. [www.aam.us.org]
 Marie C. Malaro in her book Museum Governance defined a museum as a “public or
private non –profit agency or institution, organized on a permanent basis for essentially
educational or aesthetic purposes which, utilizing a professional staff, owns or utilizes
tangible objects, cares for them, and exhibits them to the public on a regular basis.”
[Malaro: 1994:14]
From the above definitions, we can summarize some common characteristics of a museum.

1. There should be collections of objects and the center of a museum is these collections of
tangible objects.
2. They (the tangible objects) should be exhibited on a permanent basis.
3. They (museums) should be accessible to the general public.
4. The objects collected in the museum shall have a value of cultural, artistic, archeological,
or of some kind.
In the later times developments a museum definition includes: -
1. The institutions that are considered as a museum shall be a non-profit making institute.
2. They should be purpose or mission driven, and need only to serve their mission/ goal.
In Malaro’s museum definition we find one unique characteristic, and that is the “utilization
of a professional stuff” in the museum is mandatory.
To Margaret Birtley the fore mentioned definitions in general and that of the ICOM’s
definition in particular have its own limitations. Her words are worth quoting.
The ICOM museum definition has several limitations. The term ‘non-profit
making’ requires the specialized understanding of the meaning of ‘profit’. The
 phrase ‘in the service of society and of its development’ carries ambiguities, and
implies that museums are retroactive rather than pro-active.
The focus on ‘study, education, and enjoyment’ suggests that museums that are the
custodians of distressing materials (such as prison or holocaust museums) must
nevertheless create an enjoyable experience for their visitors.
Elaborating her argument Margaret continues,
The ICOM definition of a museum is rather dreary. If, as a museum practitioner,
you are asked to define museum for the benefit of a local politician, or for a
simple friend, you know precisely how fast the eyes of your audience glaze over as
you labor through the first half of the ICOM definition. ‘A non-profit making,
permanent institution, in the service of society and of its development, and open to
the public’ could be a hospital, a patents office or a police station … the ICOM
definition was actually a hindrance to our advocacy of museums to politicians,
sponsors and community partners.
[Margaret: 2005:5]
Margaret’s apprehension on the ICOM’s museum definition is worth sharing. Indeed, the ICOM
museum definition seemed to be written in the days before the Internet had given us the
possibility of virtual museums and before the importance of the intangible heritage had been
recognized.
Thus, in the ICOM definition phrases like ‘ a permanent institution’, ‘ in a permanent basis’, and
‘ the tangible objects of the people’ would construct problems, and do not reflect on the non-
western experience of culture and museum.