A Step Towards the Information Society: Improving of Museum Management

Abstract

The museum is a scientific and cultural center distinguished by its multidisciplinary activities that preserve, study, exhibit, and promote cultural heritage. Considering the expanding public functions of museums, this study examines their activities as an integral part of the formation of a knowledge society. In recent years, when discussing the activities of museums worldwide, many terms, including the concept of “museum management”, have been widely used. As in every field, museums must adhere to professional management principles to keep pace with the era. The purpose of management is to assess the museum's current situation, identify future priorities, and mobilize all efforts to achieve established goals. Management possesses numerous tools to achieve these goals. For example, project and program management, museum marketing, fundraising, public relations, information management technologies, ets. Furthermore, this study presents methodologies for analyzing museum activities – specifically STEEPLE and SWOT analyses – by examining various museums in Azerbaijan as case studies, ranging from major institutions, such as the National Museum of Azerbaijani History and the Azerbaijan National Museum of Fine Arts, to relatively smaller ones, including the Abdulla Shaig Apartment Museum and the house museums of Uzeyir Hajibeyli located in Baku and Shusha.