A museum is an institution dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing important artifacts and cultural objects. They may contain paintings, sculptures, books, and scientific specimens. The museum also provides an educational and social environment for the public. Some museums serve as a source of information on historical events and people, and they offer educational opportunities to young people. Museums are sometimes classified by the nature of their funding. Many museums have substantial financial backing to run outreach programs.
Museums are a public institution that preserves and shares the intangible heritage of humanity. These institutions often offer internships, which allow students to work in the museum. In addition, professional societies usually offer lower student membership rates. Students can also attend classes to learn more about the museum’s collection.
A museum may be classified as a general, art, or science and technology museum. General museums can be found in many countries and represent a wide range of subjects. However, they are generally geared to serving local communities and culturally homogeneous groups. Examples include the Smithsonian and the Guggenheim. Specialized museums, on the other hand, may have specialized collections. This can involve a large number of specialists and can be costly to maintain.
In order to define a museum, ICOM members must consider whether it serves the purpose of being a museum, what it holds, and how it works. For this purpose, the ICOM Define Standing Committee for the Museum Definition (SCD) has created a comprehensive definition process. It will be submitted to the ICOM General Conference in 2022. As part of the definition process, the Standing Committee for the Museum Definition outlined a new methodology for consultation.
Before the definition proposal was approved, ICOM members met and drafted five proposals. After a consultation period, the Standing Committee for the Museum Definition gathered the input from the committees and ranked the proposals. Those committees then had the opportunity to submit their comments and recommendations to the ICOM leadership. Finally, a proposal was chosen and the final version was voted upon by the Advisory Council.
During the consultation, the Standing Committee for the Museum Definition worked to create a methodology that was open to public participation. Members of the committees were encouraged to review all documents and submit their feedback. One of the committees, the Marketing & Media Coordinator, is responsible for creating all print collateral and videos. Another, the Museum Development committee, assists with selling tickets and planning two large yearly fundraisers.
There are a number of different jobs in a museum, including administrators, educators, curators, and conservators. Many of these positions involve working with visitors, interpreting the items in the collection, and preparing the objects for display. Other jobs can involve collecting items, handling the artifacts, and researching the history of the collection. Docents are interpretive guides who lead tours.
Museums are an important public institution, and there are a wide variety of jobs available. Some of the more popular jobs are: Conservators, curators, archivists, and docents. Volunteers are needed for research, fundraising, and special event management.