Museum Research Research Articles

Museum Research and Developments some issues

Since the 20th century, the International Committee for Museum Studies (ICOFOM), the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the Mongolian Culture and Arts Research Institute, the Musei Udirdah Gazar, the National Museum of Mongolia, and the Universities have been developing museology in our country with available resources. It will be clarified the need to reflect and innovate the research works and achievements of museologists in practice, and to improve the relations between museology and museums. Музейн судалгаа хөгжүүлэлтийн тойм Хураангуй: ХХ зууны үеэс Музей судлалын олон улсын хороо (ICOFOM), Монгол Улсын Шинжлэх ухааны академи, Соёл урлаг судлалын хүрээлэн, Музей удирдах газар, Монголын үндэсний музей, их сургууль нь манай улсад музей судлалыг боломжит нөөцүүдээр ханган хөгжүүлж иржээ. Музей судлаачдын судалгааны бүтээл, ололтыг практикт тусгах, инновацжуулах, музей судлал, музейн уялдаа холбоог сайжруулах шаардлагатай болсон дүгнэлт танилцуулна. Түлхүүр үгс: сан хөмрөг, судалгаа, харилцаа

Incarceration: Museum research and practice

Incarceration: Museum research and practice

A review of the literature on spirituality and religion in information research – 1990 to 2022

PurposeMore than eight in ten people worldwide identify with a religious group. In addition, people often engage with spiritual and religious content despite having no formal beliefs or affiliations. Spirituality remains a prominent feature of Western and Westernised information-based societies and cultures; however, people’s everyday interactions with spiritual and religious information have received disproportionate attention in information and library science research. Accordingly, this paper aims to understand how scholars have explored religion and spirituality in information research and identify current and emerging trends in the literature.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyses 115 peer-reviewed articles, 44 book chapters, 24 theses and 17 unrefereed papers published between 1990 and 2022 to present a narrative review of how scholars have explored spirituality and religion in information research. The reviewed literature is first organised into spirituality-related and religion-related articles and thereafter analysed in Internet studies, information behaviour studies and galleries, libraries, archives and museums-related research groups.FindingsOur analysis indicates scholars in Internet studies have researched both established and alternative religious interactions, and emerging research agendas seek to explore intersections between traditional religious authority and modern Internet-facilitated engagements. Information behaviour scholars have examined interactions in Christianity and Islam, focused primarily on Western contexts and conventional interactions, with emerging research aiming to explore diverse contextual and methodological combinations. Finally, GLAM researchers have investigated the practicality, suitability, and appropriateness of spirituality and religion-related service provisions; however, a clear research agenda is currently lacking in spirituality and religion information research more broadly.Originality/valueThis paper is the first review of the spirituality and religion-related information research spanning Internet studies, information behaviour studies and galleries, libraries, archives and museums research domains.

Accelerating Museum AI Research and Application at the UK Natural History Museum: The NHM AI Lab Programme

The United Kingdom's Natural History Museum (NHM) AI Lab Programme represents a pioneering initiative aimed at harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to bridge the gap between the museum's extensive collection and cutting-edge AI technologies. Despite its immense potential, the application of AI in museum research remains nascent (e.g., He et al. 2024), with some individual research groups pursuing independent projects without cohesive collaboration with AI experts who know or have experience in similar endeavours. Moreover, differing standards in utilising AI among researchers add complexity to the field. The NHM AI Lab Programme addresses these challenges by co-creating AI pilot projects that bring together the NHM's collection, academic researchers, and AI experts. The NHM AI Lab Programme serves as a nexus for interdisciplinary collaboration, offering expertise in AI, machine learning, data science, and software engineering to support NHM researchers. Through one-to-one consultations and collaborative research projects, the NHM AI Lab Programme facilitates the integration of innovative AI-driven technologies into streamlining digitisation workflows and enhancing Earth and Life Science research at the NHM. In less than a year since its inception, our Programme has achieved several milestones, hosting around 20 diverse projects. These include research projects such as the application of AI for the automatic detection and identification of nannofossils in chalk, the classification of ancient shark and dinosaur teeth, the prediction of mammal disease outbreaks, and the extraction of data from historical bird egg records. Additional projects focus on the automation of mineral analysis and the detection of secondary impact craters on planetary surfaces using AI. Some led to journal publications (e.g., He et al. 2024), while others streamlined NHM researchers' workflows, enhancing their processes of research and digitisation. Moreover, several initiatives have paved the way for new funding streams and collaborative ventures, as well as promising commercial prospects. Certain projects have pioneered the creation or transformation of datasets to meet AI-ready standards, such as data quality, consistency, accessibility, usability, and data governance protocols, helping to embed AI practices into NHM research. This AI Lab Programme can act as a model for other institutions addressing a similar challenge of bridging the gap between AI and their research and collections. This presentation provides insights into the establishment and operation of the NHM AI Lab Programme, shares experiences, highlights successful collaborations, discusses challenges encountered, and outlines future directions.

Strategic management of rural art museums in southern Zhejiang province, China: A mixed approach

Restoration of rural art museums in southern Zhejiang is important for regional and national development. Therefore, this study focuses on the strategic management issues of rural art museums in southern Zhejiang in the context of revitalization. This research sets three objectives: (1) to study and analyze rural art museums; (2) to synthesize strategic management; and (3) to create, propose, and define strategic management. This study used a mixed approach, with 300 stakeholders from five rural art museums in southern Zhejiang. The results show that elements of the strategic management model for rural art museums in southern Zhejiang Province can be determined. From the second objective, it is possible to formulate and implement a strategic management model in accordance with empirical data. An operational manual was developed and divided into 15 items for the strategic management of rural art museums that could be adapted to the southern region of Zhejiang Province. However, based on the questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and field visits, the average satisfaction with the level of rural art museum management was 3.27, with a standard deviation of 1.32. The average satisfaction score for the exhibition was 3.27 with a standard deviation of 1.38. Similarly, the average overall satisfaction with rural art museum was 3.4 with a standard deviation of 1.23. This study provides theoretical support and practical recommendations for strategic management of rural art museums. This study provides valuable insights into rural art museum research across the country. It also opens up new perspectives for the study of regional relations within the academic community and increases the depth and breadth of academic discussions.

Innovating visitor research within museums: Concepts, tools and practices

Increasing demands on museums for visitor insights, theoretical shifts in the learning sciences, the embeddedness of multimodal media in museums and society, and advancements in data visualisation tools and web-based applications are all clear calls for innovating visitor research in museums. In this article, I describe how concepts from multimodal and sociocultural research help shift the analytical lens for understanding and studying connections between visitor behaviours, social interactions and engagement in exhibitions. The following question is explored: In which ways can multimodal theory and the learning sciences inform the design and use of new visitor research tools and methods that are relevant for museum practice? A case study from a university-museum research partnership illustrates how multimodal and sociocultural perspectives from the humanities and learning sciences, respectively, merged in the development of a new tool to enhance and innovate visitor research within museums.

DIGITAL HORIZONS IN HERITAGE MUSEUMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DISPLAY EVOLUTION AND RESEARCH TRENDS

The construction and development of museums have gained increasing attention as a prominent research topic in recent years. Digital technology has enhanced the presentation of artefacts across various museums. However, adequate visualisation software for analysis in heritage museum research remains lacking in China or even around the world. Consequently, this study conducts a statistical analysis of literature on heritage museum displays that was sourced from Web of Science and CNKI (China's National Knowledge Infrastructure) for 2002–2023, examining publication frequency, principal authors, research institutions, and keywords to identify research hotspots and trends. The results show that although there is a lack of study on historical museum exhibits both in China and abroad, the amount of research is trending significantly. Strengthening collaboration between core authors and institutions is necessary as it's currently limited. Internationally, AI research commenced earlier, with a focus on integrating augmented and virtual reality, among others. In China, the emphasis is on heritage museum conservation and architectural space research. Research trends indicate a deeper integration of heritage museums and AI technology, with its application on tangible and intangible cultural heritage proving significant for improved display, conservation, and legacy. This research provides insights for expanding heritage museum research in the areas of technological innovation and cultural heritage protection. It also outlines the current condition of heritage museum research and lays out fresh pathways for its future growth.

Relative age of the Devonian tetrapod Metaxygnathus, based on the associated fossil fish assemblage at Jemalong, New South Wales

A new genus, Jemalongia, is erected for a porolepiform shoulder girdle and associated scales from the Cloghnan Shale at Jemalong Weir, near Forbes in New South Wales, Australia. There is no evidence for the Late Devonian porolepiform Holoptychius that was previously associated with the tetrapod Metaxygnathus at this site. Scales and a partial articulated specimen of Holoptychius sp. from the Famennian Worange Point Formation at Eden on the New South Wales south coast are close to both Holoptychius sp. from East Greenland and Holoptychius nobilissimus from Scotland. However, evidently a species other than Holoptychius sp. is represented by scales in the Hunter Siltstone at Grenfell, central New South Wales. The Jemalong fossils share character states with other scales from Grenfell and Bogan Gate that show features resembling coelacanth scales; a scale attributed to the Devonian coelacanth Gavinia is shown here for comparison. An isolated tooth plate demonstrates a second lungfish taxon at Jemalong, in addition to the denticulate Soederberghia sp. There is insufficient evidence for referring the skull of Soederberghia to the type species Soederberghia groenlandica. Incomplete placoderm remains suggest that a new antiarch taxon may occur at Jemalong. This new evidence suggests that the age of the Jemalong assemblage should be revised downwards to Givetian–Frasnian or older, rather than Famennian as previously interpreted. Gavin C. Young [Gavin.Young@anu.edu.au; Gavinyoung51@gmail.com], Department of Materials Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 Williams St, Sydney 2010, New South Wales, Australia.

Cool burning the collection: Museum research as a regenerative act

AbstractEthnographic collections, as material repositories of historical relationships, are powerful bodies of intercultural knowledge and exchange. Indigenous people have been active and influential in the building of these collections and continue today to be critical to the ongoing interpretation and engagement of such repositories. When faced with the tangled, overgrowth of values accumulated around collected objects over time, regenerative processes can offer new life. By applying a metaphorical ‘cool burn’ it is hoped that space can be created where new shoots of knowledge can emerge. This research takes the form of a digital article twinned with an exegetical reflection to extend the notion of Indigenous engagement and so consider some of the regenerative potentials of collection research when Indigenous philosophies and concepts drive research enquiry and more importantly, frame outcomes.

Recreating an Amazonian Ancestral Biodesign Technique

Abstract This study investigates an ancestral Biodesign technique associated with the fruits of the Amazonian tree Crescentia cujete. For centuries, Amazonian artisans have transformed these fruits into objects named cuias, which serve mainly as containers. Despite the continued practice of cuias production, a specific shaping technique discovered in historical accounts remains unknown and unused by contemporary artisans. The paper reports the recreation of this technique considering the ancestral ethos underpinning these traditions. A mixed-method approach has combined historical and museum research, direct interaction with trees in a bioeconomy context, and participatory observation of traditional artisans’ production. The findings reveal the ancient practice of “Growing Design” with that tree and other practices that resonate with Biodesign, establishing a connection between this field and indigenous knowledge. This study highlights the underappreciation of indigenous objects and techniques, emphasizing the potential that emerges from understanding the alignment of certain ancestral wisdom with Biodesign principles, such as amplifying indigenous heritage and opening new possibilities in design.

The use of modern technical means to study the behavior of visitors in the museum

Since the first half of the 20th century, museums have been conducting the first systematic studies on the peculiarities of visitors’ behavior when familiarizing themselves with the exposition. In the history of the issue of studying the museum audience in Russia over the past hundred years, three key periods can be distinguished. Such milestones in Russia were the 1920–1930s, the 1960–1970s and the 1990–2000s. Museum research at these points in history is distinguished by the most significant scientific results. Today museum sociology is gaining momentum, as in the last decade the visitor is viewed as a consumer who puts forward requests, thereby forming the vector of the museum’s development. In order to get to know your target audience better, it is no longer enough to use only traditional methods of studying your visitor. When studying, it is also necessary to apply new technological means that allow obtaining more reliable data. The purpose of the author of the article: to describe new technical means (eyetracking, video analytics, heat maps) and their possibilities in the process of studying the museum audience. In the article, the author also describes a number of advantages of using modern technical means in studying the behavior of visitors. The author also examines the domestic and foreign experience of popular museums that have already used modern technological means to study their audience. As a result of his research, the author comes to the conclusion that only an integrated approach, which is expressed in a combination of traditional methods of study and the use of modern technical means, allows you to get more accurate data and find out the true needs of visitors.

A story of entanglement between Indonesian national heroes, museums, and decolonization

Sultan Hasanuddin of South Sulawesi (1631-1670), Javanese Prince Diponegoro (1785-1855), and Teuku Umar of Aceh (1854-1899) were all acknowledged in 1973 by the Indonesian government as National Heroes for their resistance against the Dutch colonial power. This article discusses how their stories and belongings – exhibited in museums – intertwine with museum decolonization. The focus of this article relies on research in province museums in Makassar, Jakarta, and Banda Aceh. They were all established in colonial times and are all in some way related to the three heroes. These examples show how the decolonization of Indonesian museums is entangled with changing political regimes.

A new species of Lorrettina (dokimocephalid trilobite) from the Iverian (Cambrian, Jiangshanian) of the Amadeus Basin, Northern Territory, Australia

A previously unreported dokimocephalid trilobite, Lorrettina waterhousei sp. nov., is described herein from the Iverian (Jiangshanian, Cambrian) upper Goyder Formation, Amadeus Basin, central Australia. This is the first definitive biostratigraphic evidence for rocks of an Iverian (Jiangshanian) age in the Amadeus Basin. Correlation is made with the Chatsworth Limestone (=Gola beds) of the neighbouring Georgina Basin in Australia, as well as internationally to China, based on the generic occurrence. The biostratigraphic age of the unit is also supported by previous carbon isotope chemostratigraphy, further strengthening the interpretation. Patrick M. Smith [Patrick.Smith@austmus.gov.au], Palaeontology Department, Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, 2010, Australia and, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2109, Australia.

On-site Learning in Museums: Re-conceptualizations and Re-directions for Museum Education in the Post-pandemic Digital Age

As the digital age introduces an increasing amount of media technologies to traditional museum settings, a wealth of literature has found that these technologies are exerting prominent effects on museum visitor experiences. Such technical shifts in essence imply a growing part of communication activities, metaphors of media culture, and implications for technology-empowered learning based on museum institutions. New emphasis is being placed on state-of-the-art definitions of museum-technology, museum-learner, and museum-society relationships, appealing for re-conceptualizations of Museum, Museum Communication, and Museum Education, and therefore inviting communication and media culture scholars to join this discourse. Reviewing upon on-site learning issues discussed in previous museum research, this paper addresses the theoretical needs for present on-site educational practices in museums with re-conceptualizations of several important and operationalizable terms and proposes an interdisciplinary, learner-centred agenda for future museum education research and practices that are facing challenges and potential opportunities from e-learning and digital culture.

Reputation laundering and museum collections: patterns, priorities, provenance, and hidden crime

ABSTRACT Provenance research in museums has traditionally been reactive and focused on singular objects with dubious histories, such as colonial-era acquisitions, Nazi-looted art, and objects with active ownership claims; the ‘crimes’ we expect to see. But what if what we think we know prevents us from seeing the bigger picture within and across museum collections? We argue that a machine-learning approach to provenance could allow the detection of broader patterns of unethical or even criminal behaviour that are embedded in the relationships underpinning museum collections. To demonstrate the potential of a machine-learning approach, we present a computer-assisted model that predicts plausible patterns and connections, ‘leads’ or ‘hot tips’, derived from a dataset of unstructured texts concerning the antiquities trade. Preliminary results have revealed what may have been a multi-decade scheme involving the donation of low-value Latin American antiquities to museums as a form of ‘reputation laundering’ potentially in advance of criminal fraud. We believe that such patterns could not be identified by an approach to museum provenance that is restricted to known problems within individual institution, demonstrating the need for innovative provenance tools and approaches that consider the complex networks within which museum objects exist.

THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

The development of higher education, professional training of highly qualified future specialists necessitates the use of various forms, methods, and means of organizing the educational process.Today, questions about the peculiarities of university museum complexes, their specific features, as well as how their involvement in the educational process will contribute to the improvement of the professional training of specialists, are gaining relevance and cause considerable interest, since there are very few significant works and studies in this field.In the context of the integration of the educational process and museum activities, the issues of museum pedagogy as a separate interdisciplinary direction of research are becoming more and more relevant.The article reveals the role of museums of higher education institutions as a unique scientific and educational space in the professional training system.The author highlighted the activities of the Museum of History of Kherson State University – a structural unit where educational classes, research projects, meetings of scientific schools are held, scientific research is underway to research new unknown pages, study the history of each faculty.At the Kherson State University, the museum is a structural unit where educational classes, research projects, meetings of scientific schools are conducted, scientific research is underway to research new unknown pages, and study the history of each faculty. Many forms of work have become traditional for preparing young scientists: the annual summary of the student project «From student to professor», «Science schools of the university in the professional self-determined specialist».
 Postgraduate students studying the history of pedagogy take an active part in the work of the Center for Regional Historical and Pedagogical Research. Also, the museum and archive center is successfully used in the study of individual educational modules of the disciplines «Introduction to the profession», «Management in education», «History of pedagogy», «Pedagogy and psychology of higher education».It was found that the museums of educational institutions are a unique scientific and educational space that expands the possibilities of high-quality professional training of future specialists using modern information technologies. The specified aspects are promising for further scientific research and practical activities of museums of higher education institutions in the system of professional training.

Opening museums' science communication to dialogue and participation: the “Experimental Field for Participation and Open Science” at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Natural History Museum — MfN) established participation and exchange as central elements of the entire institution alongside its research. In order to experiment with formats and settings for dialogue-oriented exchange and participation, an area within the exhibition round walk was designated for this purpose in 2018. Over the course of three years, the “Experimental Field for Participation and Open Science” has developed the practice of opening the museum's research and collection in a dialogue-oriented, participatory way. Focus lies on museum visitors and on reaching new groups who are not in close contact with science yet. The practice of opening and participation was tested, reflectively accompanied, and further developed during the whole time period. This article describes idea, concept, design, and the results of the external evaluation of the formats of dialogue-oriented and participatory outreach in the Experimental Field at the MfN. It gives an overview of underlying ideas, design of the space, and how the goal of creating mutually beneficial encounters and enabling participation and co-creation was addressed.

The Story of the Architectural Documentation of Hagia Sophia’s Hypogeum

Abstract Hagia Sophia’s hypogeum is a group of subterranean Roman tomb structures located in the area between the northeastern side of the structure and the imaret (“soup kitchen”) of Hagia Sophia. Consisting of three chambers connected by a passage, the hypogeum is dated to the fourth century and older than the current Hagia Sophia. The story of the architectural documentation of the hypogeum is also interesting. As a matter of fact, exposed findings during the museum research still contribute to the dating studies of the structure. The first digital architectural visualisation of the space was made in 2020 within the documentation of the subterranean structures of Hagia Sophia. After the partial cleaning of the inner space at the end of 2021, a relatively more favourable environment allowed for its visualisation. This study presents the most recent architectural documentation of the hypogeum carried out, the first reconstruction plan proposal, and a virtual superposition of the structure with its superstructure. Completely cleaning the interior and top will enable this space to be thoroughly documented and dated. By including the narrative of the documentation story to the present, this study is expected to be the last visualisation of the hypogeum until it is completely cleaned. The lack of architecturally similar structures in Istanbul requires special attention to this subterranean structure.

Muuseumikogude potentsiaali kaardistamine päritolu-uuringute kaudu

This article focuses on the possibilities created through provenance research in the museum. Setting out current interest in provenance research against the backdrop of antiracist and decolonial movements such as Black Lives Matter and Rhodes Must Fall, the article focuses specifically on the history of research in ethnographic museums shaped by legislative acts such as NAGPRA in the USA, critical thinking about representational practices in anthropology, and collaborative work with originating communities. Using the Siberian collection acquired by Maria Czaplicka in 1914 and held at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford as a case study, I argue that broad-ranging and open-ended provenance research akin to anthropological fieldwork allows to uncover different narratives pertaining to museum objects. It enables to understand why and how the objects were brought to the museum, the kinds of epistemic realities they have helped to build but also to attend to different cultural meanings and realities embedded in these objects. A close historical study of the Czaplicka collection has added to our understanding of the nature of ethnographic research in the early 20th century, brought to attention immoral acquisition of grave goods and human remains during the Siberian expedition but also highlighted close relations between ethnographers and their Indigenous hosts. Contemporary fieldwork in Siberia and creative engagement with the collection have further broadened the understanding of the origin of these objects in relation to Evenki worldview and lived experience. Through such nuanced research, a “thick description” emerges that enables a museum interpretation that can speak to the emergence of drifts and fault lines in the society, bring different worldviews into one space, and within that space address topics of global concern.

Early Ordovician trilobites from Barnicarndy 1 stratigraphic well of the southern Canning Basin, Western Australia

Twenty-three trilobite taxa are described here from the Early Ordovician (Tremadocian to Floian) Nambeet Formation retrieved from the Barnicarndy 1 drillcore, Canning Basin, Western Australia. This includes one new genus, Veeversaspis gen. nov., and six new species: Asaphellus zheni sp. nov., Madiganaspis lauriei sp. nov., Norasaphus (Norasaphus) jagoi sp. nov., Rodingaia leggi sp. nov., Sanbernardaspis excalibur sp. nov., and Veeversaspis jelli gen. et sp. nov. This fauna can be divided into three stratigraphically distinct assemblages, the Apatokephalus sp.–Veeversaspis jelli gen. et sp. nov. Assemblage (2177.50–2382.94 m depth), Asaphellus trinodosus Assemblage (2030.07–2177.52 m depth), and Asaphellus zheni sp. nov. Assemblage (1595.83–2001.88 m depth). The two stratigraphically lowest assemblages are consistent with a late to latest Tremadocian age (both within the Paroistodus proteus Zone). The third, and highest, assemblage is consistent with a mid-Floian age (within the Oepikodus communis Zone). This systematic contribution refines previous biostratigraphic work based on an age-diagnostic conodont fauna and demonstrates the stratigraphic utility of using multiple taxonomic groups for more robust biostratigraphic age estimates. P.M. Smith [ Patrick.Smith@austmus.gov.au ], Palaeontology Department, Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, 2010, Australia, and Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2109, Australia. H.J. Allen [ heidi.allen@dmirs.wa.gov.au ], Geological Survey of Western Australia, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Mineral House, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, Western Australia, 6004, Australia.