The Management And Development Mechanism Of University Museum In Taiwan

The university is the supreme academic unit in formal school system,and the museum is the informal lifelong learning institution that provides the knowledge and culture for the whole people.The university museum integrates both of the characteristics,such as assisting internal teaching,promoting relevant research,also connecting teachers and students to open the door to knowledge with high-quality and diversity.Besides,the university museum displays and disseminates cultural relics and their splendor of style to the public,sharing research results,enhancing cultural identity to fulfill social responsibilities,and then build a positive image of the university.Nowadays,universities all over the world have risen up to establish their own museums,and their importance is increasing with each passing day,also it has become one of the significant indicators of university performance.The establishment of university museums is a manifestation of a gigantic educational work,and the operation of university museums is the result of complex administrations.In terms of management,various resources must be integrated and distributed in the most effective way,in order to bring out the benefits of university museums.With time changes and social development,the mission and functions of the museum gradually expanded outward,and even the university museum went out of their original framework bit by bit.That is combining the teaching and research of each department and university,also assisting the function of school education,advancing their capacity of research and innovation,and the university museum has become a public platform for lifelong learning and knowledge acquisition.How university museums seek a balance between academic standards and social needs,also achieve mutually beneficial development among teachers and students on campus and audiences outside the campus,are all related topics that this thesis attempts to discuss and study.This research topic takes the Hwa Kang Museum of Chinese Culture University as an example.Through literature review,field surveys,observation methods,case studies and expert interviews,the above-mentioned data are analyzed,summarized,and research conclusions are obtained.The Hwa Kang Museum of Chinese Culture University was established in 1971.It is the first university museum in Taiwan,and its large collection of high-quality cultural relics symbolizes it as a real university museum.With a history of ages and the excellent reputation,it is also a model for the management and development of Taiwan University Museums.Thus,using it as a research model can help us learn more about the management strategies and mechanisms of university museums in Taiwan,also provide references for other university museum operations.Followings are three major breakthroughs of this thesis:(1)The operation and management of a museum requires a lot of resources,however,the Hwa Kang Museum of Chinese Culture University not only implements the basic functions of a museum under limited resources,such as collection,exhibition,preservation,research,education,and promotion,but also overcomes academic barriers,exchanging studying results with different universities,and thus further cooperates with multiple international research units,which proves the importance of a good operating mechanism to the management of university museums.(2)Taiwan is honored as "Museum Island",and there are currently nearly 600 large public museums and privately owned and private museums in Taiwan,yet university museums still hold a place among their peers,considering that other types of museums can hardly replace the functions and meanings of university museums in terms of public interaction regionally,research results sharing and social services.(3)The positioning and function of university museums should be modulated strategically with time changes.In particular,the popularization and application of Internet will cause museums to gradually move towards digitalization in the collection of archives,exhibition formats,knowledge transmitting,and audience interaction,which is an irreversible trend.If museums in the future do not use the cutting-edge digital technology,it will be difficult to sustainably develop and even be eliminated by the progressive era and audience eventually.Based on the research results above,there are several suggestions for the operation of university museums in the future:(1)University museums need to build up their unique collection features,and small university museums should have a clear style positioning especially.(2)University museums must abandon self-centeredness and jointly make a strategic alliance of university museums,to learn from others’ strong points and close the gap.(3)University museums should unite to brainstorm ideas,build consensus,and discard outdated regulations and restrictions through legislative procedures,and formulate relevant incentive measures to create a free,friendly,and open environment and industry cycle.(4)University museums should strengthen marketing strategies and cultural and creative development to generate a positive cycle of economic feedback.(5)Use the Internet to set up a digital platform to develop a new type of museum visit experience,explore potential supporters,and stimulate the audience’s willingness to actively participate in museum activities.This thesis is aimed at studying the operating mechanism of university museums in Taiwan and hopes to provide reference for university museums in pursuing sustainable operation and formulating relevant development strategies.