A new definition of the concept of «museum»: the experience of discussion in the ICOM of Russia working group

The article examines the process of work of the professional museum community on the definition of the concept of «museum». The background of the appearance of the new definition is shown, the international context of the preparation and implementation of the stages of its development is considered. The methodology that determined the sequence of actions of the members of the ICOM of Russia working group to develop a definition of the concept of «museum» is presented in detail. The transparency of the procedure is confirmed by the materials of a survey conducted in a professional museum environment. The questionnaire included 5 questions reflecting the main functions, goals and objectives of the museum. The analysis of the responses demonstrated a high level of consolidation of the museum community, which identified the basic characteristics of the museum, allowing to preserve the boundaries of the museum as the most important social institution. Based on the responses transmitted from the National Committees, the variants of the definition of the museum concept proposed for voting at the XXVI ICOM General Conference in Prague (August 20–28, 2022) have been compiled. The current definition of the museum has been selected from them.