ОБ ИСТОЧНИКАХ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ ЛЯОНИНСКОГО ПАЛЕОНТОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО МУЗЕЯ

Abstract

The article covers a poorly studied topic about the sources of museum science study. The authors of the article rely on the prominent Russian researcher S.O. Schmidt’ opinion that the elaboration of source study is a guarantor of the accuracy of historical knowledge. They used Schmidt's scientific classification of sources and applied it to identifying and systematizing the sources of study of Liaoning Paleontological Museum in China. The article deals with such typological groups of sources as written, material, visual and electronic sources. The group of written sources includes legislative acts and documents of office-work. Such important act documents as the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics contain the information on museum work and protection of cultural values. Orders and resolutions of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, and the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, and the National Administration of Cultural Heritage Regulations include this information as well. The administrative documents of the leadership of Shenyang Pedagogical University, in which the Liaoning Paleontological Museum was opened in 2011, have no small importance too. The Charter of the Academic Committee of the Liaoning Paleontological Museum has direct relation to the creation and activities of the museum at Shenyang University. Documents of officework were deposited in the archival funds of the Liaoning Museum. They include planning materials, and reports on the activities of the museum departments. The reports on the search and conservation of fossils, on work with museum visitors, on cooperation between the museum and schools in Liaoning Province contain an important information about Liaoning Museum. The article characterizes a group of material sources that play a major role in the formation of the source base for Liaoning Museum study. These are paleontological fossils – samples of flora and fauna of antiquity. The museum contains 30158 paleontological fossils. The author reported that 707 fossils are of unique scientific value and are authentic sources of study of the museum. Visual sources include photographs, restoration drawings and sculptures made of resin of fossil samples. These historical monuments are used in the museum exposition; contain important information about the activities of the museum. Electronic sources and multimedia resources are created in order to popularize scientific knowledge about the ancient world of China, they are used in working with visitors, contain important information about the museum and its collections. The identified and characterized sources have a high degree of reliability, they are distinguished by information saturation. They provide a solid documentary base for the study of the Liaoning Paleontological Museum.