The concept of small museums from an international and local perspective: starting points for further research in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The study deals with the question, what is a small museum and what are its specifics compared to other museums. Based on available foreign and local sources, it summarizes the current state of research which is largely focused on searching for the consensus on how to clearly define this type of museums. The study is based on the published results of key research in the past twenty years, it outlines selected approaches to the characteristics of a small museum and summarizes its typical features. Analogously, it looks at the state of research in the Czech museum sphere, where the topic of small museums has been repeatedly opened, examined and debated from different perspectives of professional activities and professions in a small museum. The study raises the question of how to effectively build on this state of research and develop it further within the Czech Republic, where this type of museums seems to be insufficiently mapped so far.

Keywords

• small museum
• micromuseum
• museology
• museum pedagogy
• museum education
• museum exhibitions