Museum closure in the UK 2000-2025

这个跨学科项目将建立第一个侧重于博物馆关闭的数据集，分析关闭的博物馆的分布，调查关闭后的物品和知识的流动，并制定博物馆生命周期的新概念。博物馆关闭是很常见的。我们之前的一项由AHRC资助的研究“绘图博物馆”显示，在1960-2020年间，英国有超过850家博物馆关闭，占总数的20%，其中大多数在千禧年后关闭。紧缩措施、流行病和生活成本危机的综合影响，可能会有更多的博物馆关闭。然而，尽管博物馆关闭的频率很高，但我们对它发生在哪里，如果它主要发生在社会贫困程度高的地方，或者在农村或城市地区，我们知之甚少。我们也不知道博物馆关闭后收藏品会发生什么，或者关闭是否总是令人遗憾。重要的是，并不是所有的闭包都相同。地方议会可以决定将几个博物馆合并为一个统一的组织，或者用一座地标性建筑取代过时的机构。在这种情况下，服务可能会得到改善。或者，他们可以关闭博物馆，但继续将收藏品用于外展活动或作为场外展览的资源，或者他们可能别无选择，只能将文物封存，将其深度储存。其他博物馆藏品可能会被拆分，一些藏品被归还给原始捐赠者，一些被报废，另一些被出售，尽管我们不知道哪些收藏品仍在公共流通中，哪些消失了。例如，如果艺术品被重新安置，而农村历史收藏品被报废。博物馆被定义为旨在为子孙后代保存藏品的永久性机构。它们的关闭通常被理解为失败，但目前无法评估情况是否如此。在这个项目中，我们调查了关闭的实际情况，并重新检查了关于损失的主导叙事。我们的研究将对博物馆、遗产研究和公共历史领域的学生和学者有所帮助，因为它将：-提出博物馆部门内关闭的第一个持续分析：如何根据博物馆的位置、管理、规模、主题或认证地位及其组合而不同。-挑战关于博物馆永久性的正统观点。-记录新形式的临时、可及和弹出式博物馆。-发展博物馆生命周期的概念-提供关于博物馆关闭的大规模、定量的经验证据，作为开放数据供未来的研究人员重新使用。-以人文学者可以访问的方式可视化复杂的数据。这项研究对博物馆协会、政策制定者、资助机构、顾问和从业者也很重要。鉴于封闭率上升的可能性，了解关闭的潜在影响以及如何减轻它是至关重要的。因此，该项目将：-提供关于关闭博物馆的最新信息。-确定关闭的差异以及如何根据地点和背景处置藏品，从而突出(在)公平分配资源。-识别根据主题分散的藏品的差异，从而突出有可能丢失的物品和相关历史。-提高对关闭对接受机构的遗留影响的理解。-支持关于关闭博物馆的战略思考。

This trans-disciplinary project will establish the first dataset to focus on museum closure, analyse the distribution of museums that close, investigate flows of objects and knowledge in the wake of closure, and develop new concepts of the museum's life cycle. Museum closure is common. Our previous AHRC-funded research, 'Mapping Museums', showed that over 850 museums closed in the UK between 1960-2020, that is, 20% of the total number, with the majority closing after the millennium. The combined effects of austerity measures, the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis, make it likely that many more museums will close. Yet despite the frequency with which museums close, we know very little about where it occurs, if it predominates in places with high social deprivation, or in rural or urban areas. Nor do we know what happens to collections when museums close, or if closure is always to be regretted. Importantly, not all closures are equal. A local council may decide to amalgamate several museums to form one consolidated organisation, or replace an outdated institution with a landmark building. In such instances services may be improved. Alternatively, they may close the museum but continue to use the collection for outreach events or as a resource for offsite exhibitions, or they may have no option but to mothball artefacts, putting them into deep storage. Other museum collections may be broken up with some objects being returned to original donors, some being scrapped, and others sold, although we do not know which kinds of collections stay in public circulation and which disappear. For example, if artworks are relocated while rural history collections are scrapped. Museums are defined as permanent institutions that are intended to preserve collections for posterity. Their closure is usually understood in terms of failure, yet at present it is impossible to assess whether that is the case. In this project we investigate the actual circumstances of closure and re-examine the dominant narratives of loss. Our research will be of use to students and academics in museum and heritage studies and public history in that it will:-Present the first sustained analysis of closure within the museum sector: how it differs according to the museums' location, governance, size, subject matter, or accreditation status, and combinations thereof. -Challenge orthodoxies about the permanence of museums.-Document new forms of temporary, out-reach and pop up museums. -Develop ideas of the museums' life cycle -Provide large-scale, quantitative empirical evidence on museum closures as open data for re-use by future researchers. -Visualise complex data in ways that are accessible to humanities scholars. This research is also important for museum associations, policy-makers, funding bodies, consultants, and practitioners. Given the likelihood of rising closure rates, it is vital to understand the potential impact of closure and how it can be mitigated. Accordingly, this project will: -Provide up-to-date information on museum closure.-Identify differences in closure and in how collections are disposed of according to location and context thereby highlighting the (in)equitable distribution of resources. -Identify differences in collections dispersal according to subject matter thereby highlighting objects and associated histories that are at risk of being lost.-Improve understanding of the legacy of closure on recipient institutions.-Support strategic thinking with respect to museum closure.