Fragments of the World

by Suzanne Keene

During the past decade a number of individual museums have found imaginative ways of using their collections and of making them accessible. However, museum collections as a whole are enormous in size and quantity and the question of how can they can be put to best use is ever present. When conventional exhibitions can only ever utilise a tiny proportion of them, what other uses of the collections are possible? Will their exploitation and use now destroy their value for future generations? Should they simply be kept safely and as economically as possible as a resource for the future?

Fragments of the World examines these questions, first reviewing the history of collecting and of collections, then discussing the ways in which the collections themselves are being used today. Case studies of leading examples from around the world illustrate the discussion. Bringing together the thinking about museum collections with case studies of the ways in which different types of collection are used, the book provides a roadmap for museums to make better use of this wonderful resource.

Genres: Nonfiction, Museums

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Teresa Mayfield-Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came to me at just the right time. The need to address the cost of maintaining a collection against its usefulness to the institution and society in general has been much in my thoughts and this book helped me to see that I am not the only one thinking about it. Ms. Keene covers all of the bases: What good is this stuff? Who does it belong to? How well should it be cared for? Who cares about it and why? Who should pay for its care? Who gets to use it? Should we add to it, keep it in stasis, or dispose of it?

Backed by real-world examples from collections in multiple disciplines and locations, Ms. Keene attempts to defend the need for collections as providing cultural keys and mirrors. She reflects upon the usefulness of objects in education and research, but more than that the ways in which objects can provide a creative spark, something I would like to see more museums advertise and own. She also touches upon the responsibility of institutions to care for their collections as well as to make them accessible and relevant in order that others will see them as important and worth funding. She takes a viewpoint that might be seen as heretical by museums when she separates collections from their institutions in asserting that “collections are all too easily confused with museums, but they are far more durable and valuable than the museum that happens to house them, perhaps temporarily”. But it wouldn’t be a good read if there wasn’t a bit of controversy!

I recommend this book to anyone who manages or curates a collection, but even more to anyone who exhibits, educates or administers a museum either as staff or trustee. Those who work with the collection are usually already aware of its value and usefulness, but those who manage the institution may be far removed from the potential it holds and this book might inspire them to visit the shelves and cabinets that hold the treasures of their institution and lead them to seek ways to bring it safely into the light.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read into dealing with the rapidly burgeoning collections in museums. Keene explains some current trends among museums in getting collections out to the public, as well as proposing some new ideas that haven't been implemented quite yet. Great book to be recommended for museum studies students.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good background on museums, collections, museum-based education, etc. Really only for museum studies students, or those (like me) who work with museum and research collections.