What is a Museum?

What is a Museum?

The Museums Australia Constitution (2002) defines a 'museum' as an institution with the following characteristics:

A museum helps people understand the world by using objects and ideas to interpret the past and present and explore the future. A museum preserves and researches collections, and makes objects and information accessible in actual and virtual environments. Museums are established in the public interest as permanent, not-for-profit organisations that contribute long-term value to communities.

Museums Australia recognises that museums of science, history and art may be designated by many other names (including Gallery and Keeping Place ). In addition, the following may qualify as museums for the purposes of this definition:

(a) natural, archaeological and ethnographic monuments and sites and historical monuments and sites of a museum nature that acquire, conserve and communicate material evidence of people and their environment;

(b) institutions holding collections of and displaying specimens of plants and animals, such as botanical and zoological gardens, herbaria, aquaria and vivaria;

(c) science centres;

(d) Cultural centres and other entities that facilitate the preservation, continuation and management of tangible or intangible heritage resources (living heritage and digital creative activity); 

(e) such other institutions as the [Museums Australia National] Council consider as having some or all of the characteristics of a museum.

In its Code of Ethics (2004) The International Council of Museums (ICOM) describes a museum as:

a non-profit making permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment.