museology

1 8.7

The study of museums and how to run them

noun
/mjuˈziˌɑlədʒi/

Specialized

: museología

Museology has certainly given an impetus to the study of the visual context, in particular to the history of frames and hanging, and the lighting of the gallery environment.
a new museology

Examples

My first encounter was at the reception for museum staff, consultants, and their families, where I was accompanied by a group of anthropologists and museologists who were animated with anticipation for what they hoped would be a landmark series of exhibits and a turning point in Native American museology.

Academic text (2006)
A possible exception is the UK, where ongoing study of material culture, non-Western arts, and museology brings its contribution to the field.

Academic text (2008)
The NMAI attempts to profoundly change the practice of museology and the role of Indigenous people in museums on a grand scale.

Academic text (2006)
Through these experiences, the idea of new museology was developed with alternative practices, such as multi-vocal exhibits or community collaborations, which were designed to counteract the problems raised by conflicting ideas about authority.

Academic text (2006)
However, even with the development of the new museology, a paradigm dramatically carried forward by the NMAI, "Indigenizing" the National Museum of the American Indian was a complicated project that called for a complete redefinition of what a large-scale national museum is and can be.

Academic text (2004)
The protocol or methodology of community curation, which breaks new ground by carrying forward the principles of new museology on such a grand scale, is not only significant because it gives expression to Native voices but also because it enacts a decolonizing methodology that will deeply impact the standards to which museums and curators are held.

Academic text (2004)
Studying museology helps professionals improve their knowledge of museum organization and management.
Her passion for museology inspired her to pursue a career in museum management and curation.
Museology is essential for understanding how museums can better serve their communities.

Synonyms

museography

vsmuseology

Specialized

1 9.9

Work that plans and arranges museum displays and shows

covers the broader study of museums including history, organization and management

Surface Forms

museology singular

museologies plural

Morphology

museology = museum (semi-transparent) = museum + ology

The word is a learned formation based on 'museum' plus the study suffix '-ology', but the classical combining pattern makes the connection slightly less straightforward than an ordinary English derivation.

Etymology

The word museology combines museum (a place for art and learning) and the ending -logy, which means 'study'. Museum comes from an old Greek word mouseion, a place of the Muses, the Greek goddesses of art and learning. So, museology is the 'study of museums'.