Aim: To communicate the message of the Museum to the public through various means and build a transparent image.
Background: "A museum is a non-profit making permanent in the service of the society and its development and open to the public when acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits for the purpose of study, education and enjoyment of material evidence of human kind and its environment.” [ICOM]
The term 'communication' is derived from the Latin word communis, meaning 'common'. Communication is thus, the process of establishing commanality of oneness of thought between a sender and a receiver.
The primary mean of communication in a Museum is through its collection. Therefore, the collection of the Museum should be complete with respect to all the information it can communicate about itself. The medium used by the Museum to give the public a chance to interact with the object is through exhibition. Hence the exhibition should be structured to communicate well with the visitors and its central aim should be to educate the people.
For better communication, it is important to understand the public, its need and demands. Museum should have specialist in this field that can attract the public, relate them to the Museum and maintain a relation with them by seeking their advice and cooperation.
As communication is about building a common ground between two sides, i.e. the sender (Museum) and the receiver (public), the flow of information should be two-sided and the Museum should know its strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. But first, the public has to be convinced that Museums are not boring store houses of antiques but one can entertain oneself with the knowledge the objects provide. The public has to be made ready to make Museum as their first preference for both education and entertainment.
Museum Communication starts even before the public enters the premises. The first thing the Museum must do is to build an Image for itself. In the city people must now where the Museum is and the effort for this has to come only from the Museum. Also, from time to time the Museum must inform the people of its function and role in the present society. If the people do not come, then the Museum must go to them through various means like exhibition, education, advertisement and visitor survey programs.
Inside the Museum, Communication begins with the visitor’s interaction with the staff at the reception and greeting from the Security Personnel at the Entrance. It reflects the well or ill functioning of the Management Body.
A policy is not a law but guidelines for better functioning of the Museum, which can be followed and reviewed. The Management and the visitor will change but the Museum and the needs of the visitor will remain broadly the same. The communication is so effective that everyone wants to visit Museum and after the end of his or her visit, the visitor must make up his or her mind to come back again and again.
Objective:
The term 'communication' is derived from the Latin word communis, meaning 'common'. Communication is thus, the process of establishing commanality of oneness of thought between a sender and a receiver.
The primary mean of communication in a Museum is through its collection. Therefore, the collection of the Museum should be complete with respect to all the information it can communicate about itself. The medium used by the Museum to give the public a chance to interact with the object is through exhibition. Hence the exhibition should be structured to communicate well with the visitors and its central aim should be to educate the people.
For better communication, it is important to understand the public, its need and demands. Museum should have specialist in this field that can attract the public, relate them to the Museum and maintain a relation with them by seeking their advice and cooperation.
As communication is about building a common ground between two sides, i.e. the sender (Museum) and the receiver (public), the flow of information should be two-sided and the Museum should know its strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. But first, the public has to be convinced that Museums are not boring store houses of antiques but one can entertain oneself with the knowledge the objects provide. The public has to be made ready to make Museum as their first preference for both education and entertainment.
Museum Communication starts even before the public enters the premises. The first thing the Museum must do is to build an Image for itself. In the city people must now where the Museum is and the effort for this has to come only from the Museum. Also, from time to time the Museum must inform the people of its function and role in the present society. If the people do not come, then the Museum must go to them through various means like exhibition, education, advertisement and visitor survey programs.
Inside the Museum, Communication begins with the visitor’s interaction with the staff at the reception and greeting from the Security Personnel at the Entrance. It reflects the well or ill functioning of the Management Body.
A policy is not a law but guidelines for better functioning of the Museum, which can be followed and reviewed. The Management and the visitor will change but the Museum and the needs of the visitor will remain broadly the same. The communication is so effective that everyone wants to visit Museum and after the end of his or her visit, the visitor must make up his or her mind to come back again and again.
Objective:
To make the public aware of the Museum.
To develop the image of the Museum as a repository of knowledge.
To make the public visit the Museum and like to come back.
To make Museum a preference as a source of knowledge and entertainment.
To convince the public of the importance of Museum in present-day society.
To make public an active and responsible participant in Museum functioning.
Guidelines:
To develop the image of the Museum as a repository of knowledge.
To make the public visit the Museum and like to come back.
To make Museum a preference as a source of knowledge and entertainment.
To convince the public of the importance of Museum in present-day society.
To make public an active and responsible participant in Museum functioning.
Guidelines:
To formulate a Collection Policy
To formulate a Documentation Policy
To formulate an Exhibition Policy
To formulate an Education Policy
To formulate a Public Relation and Marketing Guidelines
To study and understand the needs of the visitors
To build an Image of the Museum
To have a written Museum Ethics
To employ professional management and security Museum Personnel
To assess the Museum periodically
To amend the Museum policy periodically
To formulate a Documentation Policy
To formulate an Exhibition Policy
To formulate an Education Policy
To formulate a Public Relation and Marketing Guidelines
To study and understand the needs of the visitors
To build an Image of the Museum
To have a written Museum Ethics
To employ professional management and security Museum Personnel
To assess the Museum periodically
To amend the Museum policy periodically
Article I: Collection Policy
Ø The Museum should have a written Collection Policy so that the public is aware of the nature of the Museum.
Ø It should not acquire objects outside its nature of Collection.
Ø The Museum must display its entire Collection to the public and rotate after some years so that the storage collection can also be displayed.
Ø The collection policy must take special care of preserving and conserving its Collection on set standards.
Ø If the nature of collection is multi-purpose than a uniform division pattern should be followed and equal number of specialist professionals be appointed.
Ø The nature of collecting of the Museum should not violate any International, National or Regional guidelines.
Ø The public should be given the clear understanding of the nature of collection and the Collection Policy.
Article II: Documentation Policy
Ø The Museum must document its entire collection.
Ø The Museum should have a Documentation Policy.
Ø The Museum should follow one standard and recognized pattern of documentation.
Ø The Museum should have its own Research department and researchers to thoroughly study and interpret its collection for correct documentation.
Ø The Museum should not be reluctant to seek outside consultation of its collection from specialists to gather as much information as possible about its collection.
Ø The Museum must not hide any information regarding the collection (if not very confidential for security problems).
Article III: Exhibition Policy
Ø The Museum should have an Exhibition Policy covering all aspects and various types of exhibitions
Ø The Museum must understand that exhibition is the face of the museum, where the public interacts with its collection.
Ø The Museum besides permanent exhibitions must organize temporary exhibitions to bring out the reserve collection.
Ø The Museums must organize traveling exhibitions and mobile exhibitions to take them to the people who cannot afford to visit Museums.
Ø The Museums must held exhibitions outside its region, within and outside the country to give every one an opportunity to view the collection.
Ø The approach to the exhibition should not be just display of objects but presentation of didactic information.
Ø The exhibition must take care of conservational hazards with respect to the objects.
Ø The exhibition must also take care of spatial orientation and physical fatigue-ness of the visitors.
Ø After every exhibition its impact on visitors must be studied and, in case of permanent exhibitions, the process of evaluation should be continuous so that it caters to all categories of visitor.
Article IV: Educational Policy
Ø Education should be center to all the activities of a Museum.
Ø The Museum must have rigorous Educational Program.
Ø The Museum should formulate an Educational Policy in consultation with various educational bodies.
Ø The educational programs should not be generalized but specific for various target audience.
Ø The Museum Educator must seek the guidance of the researcher and curator along with other educators before designing an educational program for any target audience.
Ø The Museum Educator must focus on out-reach programs so to reach the untapped audience and explain the role and importance of Museum in present society.
Ø The Museum Educator should also involve himself or herself in research of collection and visitor to avoid mere reliability of data collected by others, which might not be authentic.
Article V: Public Relation and Marketing
Ø The Museum must have a separate department of Public Relation and Marketing.
Ø The department should undertake research to understand the needs of the visitors.
Ø The department should be aware of the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats of the Museum.
Ø It must be competitive with other entertainment and educational institutions.
Ø It must not falsify or exaggeratedly glorify in its advertisement to create a misconception.
Ø There should be specialists handling the Media, Press Releases and Publications of the Museum.
Ø The department must identify the places the Museum can use to advertise and feature prominently in the state’s and nation’s tourist brochures and maps.
Ø Organize various activities to draw visitors to the Museum.
Ø The department must be updated with the activities in the Museums and themselves must not go beyond the function and ethics of the Museum.
Ø They should be allotted separate budget.
Ø The department should be responsible for handling the special facilities provided to the visitors like maintenance of public toilets, cloakroom, cafeteria, parking space, signage within the Museum and outside for orientation, publication material to be taken away by the visitors, sitting arrangement, lifts, special facilities for the less enabled public and drinking water.
Ø If there is a Museum shop, it should be marketed properly to increase sale to benefit the Museum monetarily and, that it becomes a choice for the (native) visitors whenever they want to purchase a gift.
Ø The visitor when leaves the Museum should make up their mind to visit again and make Museum their first preference for both education and entertainment.
Article VI: Visitor
Ø Proper direction and signage should be provided in the city and other possible places guiding to the Museum so that the visitor can easily locate.
Ø Inside the Museum proper signage should be provided about the various galleries, cafeteria, drinking water facilities, toilets, offices and other places.
Ø A free Brochure should be given with the tickets with brief information about the Museum.
Ø If other special facilities are provided, the visitor should be made aware of it.
Ø From time to time visitor’s opinion should be taken about the functioning of the Museum and thoroughly evaluated and worked upon.
Ø At the exit of each galley or Museum a visitor book should be kept for the comments from him or her. They should be explained that their opinion is important for the Museum.
Ø Visitor research should also be done outside the Museum to know why some of the visitor does not want to visit and what are their needs.
Ø The visitor should be divided into various categories to understand needs of specific target audience as different people have different needs.
Ø In the Museum the visitor along with information should be provided with entertainment.
Ø The visitor when leaves the Museum should make up their mind to visit again and make Museum their first preference for both education and entertainment.
Ø Proper direction and signage should be provided in the city and other possible places guiding to the Museum so that the visitor can easily locate.
Ø Inside the Museum proper signage should be provided about the various galleries, cafeteria, drinking water facilities, toilets, offices and other places.
Ø A free Brochure should be given with the tickets with brief information about the Museum.
Ø If other special facilities are provided, the visitor should be made aware of it.
Ø From time to time visitor’s opinion should be taken about the functioning of the Museum and thoroughly evaluated and worked upon.
Ø At the exit of each galley or Museum a visitor book should be kept for the comments from him or her. They should be explained that their opinion is important for the Museum.
Ø Visitor research should also be done outside the Museum to know why some of the visitor does not want to visit and what are their needs.
Ø The visitor should be divided into various categories to understand needs of specific target audience as different people have different needs.
Ø In the Museum the visitor along with information should be provided with entertainment.
Ø The visitor when leaves the Museum should make up their mind to visit again and make Museum their first preference for both education and entertainment.
Article VII: Image of the Museum
Ø To build a positive Image of the Museum.
Ø The Museum should be transparent to its public.
Ø The Museum personnel should always keep it in mind and they should work towards this target.
Ø The Image should not be class or collection based but on its function and approach.
Ø The Image of the Museum must be modified with accordance to change of time.
Ø The Image of the Museum should be made such that the visitor makes it their first preference for both education and entertainment.
Article VIII: Ethics of Museum
Ø The Museum should have a written code of ethics, which it must adhere to.
Ø The public should be educated about these ethics.
Ø Ethically the Museum must work for community development and ecological preservation according to its nature of function.
Ø Ethically the Museum must feel responsible and answerable to the public.
Ø The museum must also work for the development of regional, national and international code of ethics.
Article IX: Museum Management and Security Personnel
Ø The Museum Management and Security Personnel must be professionally be trained.
Ø The Management Staff includes the Governing Body, the Curator or Keeper, the Museum Educator, the Museum or Exhibition Designer, the Administration staff, the Researcher, the Conservator, the Public Relation, the Security Personnel and marketing Officer and each and every member of that organization.
Ø The Management should direct all their activities to accumulate the needs of the visitor.
Ø The Management is answerable to the public and should be transparent about their activities.
Ø The Management should always be available to the public all the time for their queries.
Ø The Security must make the visitor feel welcome from the entrance itself.
Ø The Security personnel must be conscious to see that the collection is not stolen, as the Museum is answerable to the public and should be transparent in its activity.
Article X: Assessment of the Museum
Ø The museum must periodically asses its functioning in terms of drawing public.
Ø The Museum must assess if it has been able to be achieve its target
Ø The Museum must assess whether in a given time frame it has been able to provide basic facilities to its public.
Ø The Museum must assess the maintenance of its collection, the success and relevance of the exhibitions it has held, the working and updating of its permanent and to be renovated galleries, the research and documentation of its collection, the preservation, conservation and security of the collection, the public relation and marketing and its staff.
Article XI: Amendments of the Policy
Ø The Communication Policy must be reviewed after every 7 years.
Ø Regular records regarding the functioning of the Museum must be maintained so that the growing needs and changes may be identified.
Ø All the written Policies and documents must also be regularly checked and periodically reviewed.
Ø If need be, amendments must be made by the Governing Body after a thorough review.
Ø The amendment and review committee must comprise only experienced professional of this and related fields within and outside the Museum.
Disclaimer: This was created during my working in museum way back in 2005 and has not since then been revised. Please cross check with books by scholars of the field. New research has come up since then. This is only for study purpose and should not be quoted.
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