Английский язык. Хрестоматия по чтению специальных текстов «Famous World Museums» для студентов 1-2 курсов специальности 070503 «Музейное дело» дневно

contains such facts as the height of the tallest person, the weight of the heaviest person, the shortest river, the largest fountain, the highest-earning actor, and so on and so forth. It should be noted that eating and alcohol consumption contests are no longer accepted because of health and safety issues. Because the book is so popular, it was decided to open small museums in different parts of the world frequented by tourists. The Guinness World Records Museum in Copenhagen is one of them. The goal of the museum is to inform and to educate. There are displays based on the Book, mostly in texts and photos. This museum is useful for the entire family, because it exhibits different genres like literature, art, entertainment, sports, the natural world (including natural disasters), and others. As it shows human accomplishments in different spheres of life, people of all ages are being captivated.

Part VIII

Significance in Popular Culture

Most museums add objects to their collections through gifts and bequests (objects given to museums upon a person's death), primarily from individuals. Museums actively develop relationships with potential donors to stimulate their interest in giving to the collection. People may decide to donate objects out of generosity, because they want to share what they have collected with the public. They may want to be sure that their collections or objects are safely preserved for future generations. Or they may seek the prestige of giving to a museum. In the United States and United Kingdom, people who donate objects to museums receive tax benefits.

Some museums have dedicated budgets for acquiring new objects. Museums use these funds to purchase objects from collectors, dealers, or at public auction. Only larger museums can hope to be successful in competing in the marketplace for objects with great artistic, historical, or scientific importance. In some cases, museums directly acquire objects or artifacts through archaeological fieldwork sponsored by the museum or conducted by its staff.

Museums also lend objects to other museums for educational, exhibition, or research purposes, either short-term or long-term. Since physical space limits the portion of a museum's collection that can be on view, this arrangement is an opportunity to bring objects out of storage and broaden

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public access to them. It also permits the borrowing museum to supplement its own collection or present a well-rounded exhibition.

Museums can build high-quality collections only by establishing and following clear acquisition policies and plans. These policies selectively limit the categories of objects, relate collecting activity to the museum's stated mission, and provide for realistic and manageable growth.

Museums usually manage information about their collections in electronic databases. Each object is identified by a unique number, called an accession number, which is given to an object upon acquisition. An object's permanent record includes basic facts about its acquisition, including the donor or other source and the year it was acquired. The object record also contains information on the artist or maker, provenance (ownership history), creation date or time period, description of the object, purchase price, measurements, identifying marks, condition, and related publications. Correspondence, clippings, and legal documents may also be included. Documentation is kept up to date by a museum's registrar or collections manager and curators.

In addition to publishing printed catalogs of their collections, a growing number of museums make selected images and information from their collections available on their Internet sites. When doing so, museums must consider intellectual property issues, such as whether they have the rights to display a digital image of an artwork or object online. Museums are always seeking to improve documentation standards and practices to streamline information sharing among museums and to facilitate access to collections by scholars, researchers, and the public.

Online Exhibitions

Online exhibitions extend a museum beyond its physical walls and invite virtual visitors to explore images and text at their own pace. These exhibitions range from digital images of a museum's works to threedimensional, interactive tours of a museum's galleries with audio and video. The World Wide Web site of the National Gallery of Art, for example, provides images of thousands of its paintings, sculpture, decorative artworks, and works on paper. It also offers interactive virtual tours of past temporary exhibits, such as a 1998-1999 exhibition on Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, that allow visitors to «walk through» the exhibition space as it originally appeared.

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Exhibition Design

Most exhibitions are developed by a team of professionals. A curator or content specialist does extensive research on the topic of the exhibition. An exhibit designer plans the physical presentation and oversees production of the exhibition components. An educator determines the best way to communicate information to the audience. An evaluation specialist may incorporate research about visitor behavior and interests. An exhibition may require model building, acquisition of historical images, or sound or film production. Some museums invite a representative of a group with a special interest or expertise in the exhibition content to join the exhibition team. Developing an exhibition may take several years from concept to opening.

Objects on exhibit are accompanied by multimedia materials that enhance the visitor's experience and the overall educational goals of the exhibition. Central to these materials is a brief, accurate, and easy-to-read narrative, presented in wall text, object labels, and audiovisual media such as videos and CD-ROMs. The content is written, edited, and produced by museum professionals who are experts in the subject matter and knowledgeable about communicating with visitors. Museums often provide different levels of information–from basic background to more complex details–to suit diverse learning styles and educational levels. Museum publications, from brochures and booklets to gallery guides and exhibition catalogs, provide further documentation and disseminate the research conducted for an exhibition.

When interactive media are incorporated effectively into exhibition design, they stimulate visitor involvement, elicit an active response to objects or concepts, and facilitate learning. A touch screen computer system, for example, can allow a visitor to select information according to individual interests. Interactive electronic maps, computer-based quizzes that test visitors' knowledge and programs that allow visitors to simulate a rocket launch or aircraft landing are other engaging exhibit features that make use of computer technology. Many museums offer audio tours of exhibitions using handheld listening devices. Some audio tours consist of a single standardized commentary; others allow visitors to customize their experience by choosing to hear commentary on only those objects they want to learn more about.

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EXHIBITIONS

The guiding philosophy behind museum exhibitions calls for an inviting, accessible, and comfortable environment designed to evoke feelings and inspire learning by visitors of a variety of ages, interests, and backgrounds. A good exhibition creates an atmosphere of enjoyment, participation, and curiosity that encourages visitors to seek further information on the topics presented. Among the characteristics of an effective exhibition are positive audience response; suitable choice of subject and content; clear, coherent, and engaging information; logical flow of exhibit sequences; appropriate conservation and security measures; design and layout that suit the theme, subject matter, collection, and audience; and attention to human comfort, safety, and accessibility.

Permanent and Temporary Exhibitions

Permanent exhibitions are primarily based on a museum's collection and are on view indefinitely. Temporary or changing exhibitions deal with other topics related to a museum's educational mission and goals. They augment the permanent exhibitions and may include materials from the core collection as well as objects borrowed from other sources. Some museum collections offer cultural and scientific treasures for researchers, scholars, and specialists. The research use of a collection is an important aspect of a museum's responsibility to expand knowledge and increase understanding.

The research carried out in museums varies among disciplines and among museums. Many natural history museums, for example, are major centers of research in the natural sciences, and their research collections are made available to scientists. Major museums also employ their own scholars and scientists who conduct research both in the field and in the museum. Like university scholars, museum scholars present their findings through academic publications, but they also give public lectures and contribute to museum exhibitions. Research activity in art museums and history museums often centers on the collections and exhibitions.

Some museums have on-site resource centers and libraries that are available to a variety of users, including academic researchers, teachers, students, and the public. These facilities provide access to collection information, library and archival materials, and educational materials on the museum's collections and exhibitions. In addition, many museums provide electronic access to

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collection information through the Internet, making images and information about museum objects available on their Web sites for educational use.

Conservators also establish preventive care measures, which provide optimum conditions to protect collections over time. All objects change over time because of physical or chemical deterioration and damage. Temperature, relative humidity, light, pollutants, and handling are the primary threats to museum objects of all kinds. Temperature and humidity levels must remain constant and moderate, avoiding excessively warm or moist conditions and fluctuations that can accelerate deterioration and encourage mold growth and insect activity. Exposure to ultraviolet light from daylight and sources such as fluorescent lamps must be controlled. Exhibition and storage areas must be pest-proof and free of indoor pollutants.

Museums must provide adequate security, including protection against fire, theft, vandalism, and accident. Museums always insure collection objects while in transit, and many insure their permanent collections as well. When an object is handled or moved, even only a few steps, museum staff must observe accepted standards for the care and handling of objects with historic, aesthetic, or scientific value.

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Xylographer – гравер по дереву

Xylography – гравировка по дереву

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