Defining Museum

Abstract

This paper presents a new definition of museum. In so doing, it departs from five principles: that the definition be short and simple; that it be relatively easy to translate into many languages; that it distinguishes museum from other collecting institutions; that it be flexible enough to allow room for local interpretation and local customs; and that it encompasses the full range of current museum ideologies. This definition seeks to identify the fundamentals of museums, the how, the why and the who, and eliminates the extraneous what and where.