The document discusses museum education and how museums can better engage audiences. It defines a museum as an organization responsible for maintaining artifacts and objects of cultural significance for public viewing. Museums are expanding to include virtual exhibits online in addition to physical collections. The document discusses how museums provide an educational experience through objects on display and can stimulate intellectual discussion. It compares formal education to museum learning and provides examples of best practices for imparting education, such as labels, guided tours, programs, and digital technologies. The goal of museums as education centers is to reach and educate national and global audiences about culture and heritage.

1. Museum: A Learning Centre
Engaging the Audience
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

2. What is a Museum?
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
A museum is an organization that is vested with the
responsibility of upkeep of the collection of artefacts and
other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical
importance and makes them available for public viewing
through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. The
continuing acceleration in the digitization of information,
combined with the increasing capacity of digital
information storage, is causing the traditional model of
museums (i.e. as static “collections of collections” of three-
dimensional specimens and artefacts) to expand to
include virtual exhibits and high-resolution images of their
collections for perusal, study, and exploration from any
place with Internet connectivity.

3. What is Museum Education?
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
A Museum is not an educational institution in the formal
sense rather is in its broader sense of the word. Museum can
offer an educational experience across a wide range of
variables. The meaning of museum education is that museums
provide a learning situation in which the visitors experience
learning which generally involves attending to an object, a
display, label, person, element or some mental construct of
these. The data a visitor receives during a museum visit tends
to bear a ‘contextual map’. The museum visit represents a
collection of experiences rather than a single unitary
phenomenon. These experiences will become embedded in
memory altogether with the result that any one facet of these
experiences can facilitate the recapitulation of the entire
experience. Thus Museums are rather a source of intellectual
stimulation and entertainment.

4. Comparison of Formal Education
and Learning in Museum
Options Academic Learning Museum Learning
Free Choice None Yes
Basis of Lessons Text Objects
Sense s Most Used Oral Visual
Curriculum Syllabus-bound Personal Experience
Formal Appraisal Yes None
Time-Schedule Yes No
Learning Linear non-spontaneous Prompt, comprehensive
and miscellaneous
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

5. Changing role of Museum
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
Initially museums were personal curio collection
of royalties and nobilities and access to these
collections was a prerogative of the same and
some noted scholars. Nevertheless two epoch-
making events in World History, i.e. American war
of Independence (1776) and French Revolution
(1789) resulted into the declaration of Human &
Civil Rights which subsequently opened new vista
for the development of education and culture.This
new development further intensified the collection
of objects of art and culture and a gradual
increase in public access to museum collections.
Education was put as one of the major function of
museums.

6. ICOM’s Definition of Museum
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the
service of society and its development, open to the
public, which acquires, conserves, researches,
communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible
heritage of humanity and its environment for the
purposes of education, study and enjoyment.

7. American Association of Museums defines a
Museum as
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
This author defines a museum as a service provider for the
spread of knowledge.

8. Thus, conspicuously there are three distinctive
accountabilities of a Museum:
1. Educational
2. Social
3. Entertainment
Of which Educational accountability is prime and
most prominent
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

9. Education is defined as the process of
experience, generally called learning which brings
in desirable changes in human behaviour; with
respect to knowledge, outstanding skill and
attitude.
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

10. Capable to cater to
different audiences
Digital Learning
Gallery Interpretation
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

11. Best Practices those can be adopted as means to
impart Education and Knowledge
 Label
 Gallery Interpretation
 Visitor Survey: Assessment
and implementation of
museum plan.
 Audience Management:
Visitor friendly watch &
ward staff
 Programme for Community
Learning (Family, Children,
Adult, Disabled etc.)
 Reception: Physical and
Intellectual orientation
 Information Management:
Signage, map, info volunteer
etc.
 Practical Wing: Pottery,
Photography, Musical or Art
workshops/studios
 PR tool, Publication &
Museum Shop
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

12. Key tools for Educating and
Engaging Audiences
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

13. Modes of Learning in Museum
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

14. EDUCATION CAN BE IMAPRTED THROUGH:
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
Exhibition
Gallery
Talk/
Guided
Tour
Object /
Diorama
Label
Program
mes for
differently
abled
visitors
Electronic
technolog
y
Publicatio
n &
Research
Outreach
Program
mes:
Loan kits,
Mobile
Exhibition
Activities
for
children

15. Most of the Indian museums are following the same old dowdy mode
of label writing which needs to change immediately. As prevailing in
some leading international museums, they have an entire separate
division for Label Writing in a very innovative manner. Label is the
direct most source of interpretation of exhibits to a visitor. Naturally it
needs to be presented very precise yet stylishly. The colour
combination, font and text should be very innovative but brief and
simple at the same time. So that it interests young, adult and senior
visitors alike.
The idea of Label Book also seemed very innovative. To avoid the
monotony or even to draw the attention of (especially curious)visitors
towards a gallery or particular exhibit the use of label book can be
very unique. This label book should be spiral-bound and kept in a
space which is easily noticeable to the visitors like near visitors’
bench or the introductory label.
Under the prevailing circumstance, museologists and experts in
the field may concentrate on improving the allover arrangement of
label for a better interpretation of objects to the visitors.
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

16. Development
Principles
i)Variety
ii) Focus
iii) Extension
iv) Participation
Strategic Aims
i) Digital
interpretation
ii)Audio-tours
iii) Access for Visitors
with disabilities
Categorized
Gallery
Planning
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

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18. Variety:
Interpretation promotes learning by
offering a variety of ways into the
collections that appeal to visitors of
different ages and backgrounds.
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

19. Focus:
The primary purpose of gallery
interpretation is to help visitors engage
with the Museum’s collections on-site; it
should be available alongside the objects
and galleries that it refers to.
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

20. Participation:
Visitors’ voices are core both in the
development of the interpretation and in
the continued life of galleries after
opening. Opportunities for dialogue and
consultation with visitors are actively
sought.
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

21. Balance:
Interpretation should be sensitive to the
objects, complementing rather than
overwhelming them. It should be
presented in a style that is in keeping with
the gallery design.
Swagata Mukhopadhyay

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G-Goal: The goal of museum as
a centre of Education is to attract
as much audience as it can reach-
out to – Nationally and Globally
– and make them aware of their
heritage and culture.
R-Reality: Present Indian
museums are not fully utilizing
its capacity as an informal
educational institution
O-Option: to identify its
strength which are already
available with them and put the
same into practice. Also it can
considerably publicize its activity
and potency through proper
channel.
W-Way-forward: The foremost
function of a modern museum is
to utilise the objects of the past
as tools to generate knowledge
and thereby enlighten the minds
of the public.
G-R-O-W
model

27. Independent Departments
and Learning Centre
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
Engaging students of related discipline as well as public,
conducting research programs and teaching are some
key accountability of modern museums. Separate wings
should be introduced to effectively carry-out such
functions. Apart from this workshops and studios can
be set up to involve students and other visitors as well
as for their hands-on experience. The necessity of
learning is, one, to engage the visitors more closely with
the collection in order to increase audience and attract
new audiences. Secondly, this way a museum will
successfully be able to raise its profile and visibility. And
finally it will generate awareness regarding art, culture
and heritage among the populace.

28. Why and How to implement the policies
regarding Learning Centers in Museum
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
In order to meet this requisition a museum must identify the types of audiences it will
provide its services to. Broadly, there can be visitors like specialists, artists as well as people
from creative industry, students, personally curious and enthusiasts or people who will visit
museum without any definite purpose in mind or just for the sake of visiting. Whoever the
audience is their purpose for coming into the museum can be such:
 Knowledge
 Skills
 Pleasure
 Social experience
 Motivated by curiosity and internal incentives
 To gaingeneral experience, not restricted by conventional subject boundaries.
 Outside their own area of expertise they will be novice learners
The kinds of events that can be arranged for engaging museum audiences in learning are:
Informal Talk or tour, film, performance demonstration, music, lecture or
interview, study day or seminar, conference and symposia, course and most
importantly practical workshop or Master Classes.

29. Publication
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
Publication and exhibition are the two salient facets of
any museum. Publication is the key tool for learning
as well as marketing. This can be digital or direct.
The direct techniques involve, publishing leaflets,
postcards, catalogues, posters, gallery sheet, any other
popular and scholarly publication etc. The digital
mode, most accessed, accepted and appreciated as
well, involves Web-site, SEO and Links, E-mails, social
media, radio channel and even apps. Whatever the
means is, the basic motive is to make people aware,
involve & connect with them.

30. PR tool & Museum Shop
Swagata Mukhopadhyay
Another means of engaging the target audience
in Museum Learning is through Public Relation.
Preview Articles of the events and exhibitions of
museum or Interviews, Listing and Reviews can
be done as part of Public Relation management.
Museum shop should have a tasteful assortment
of articles related to Museum Collection, of
various types of visitors’ curiosity. All the scholarly
or popular publications related to Museum
collection and events or any other research
should be available in Museum Shop to cater to
inquisitive audiences.

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