展望二十一世紀的科學博物館

Science and Technology Museums in the 21st Century

于瑞珍

《科技博物》 2卷3期 (1998/05) Pp. 7-13

https://doi.org/10.6432/TMR.199805.0007

並列摘要

One of the most important tasks facing us as we near the end of the century is to look back at the past, take a look at how things stand now and to review our hopes for the future. What does this mean for the National Science and Technology Museum, which came into being only a few years before the 20th century is to end? The museum organized an international symposium bringing together recognized authorities on museums from Taiwan and overseas as well as experts in education and science and technology, for three days of discussion of the future of museums. Here I would like to offer a few personal observations during the symposium.
Being Mainstream of Life-long Learning
Schools have been the main focus of educational activities for many years, entrusted with the heavy burden of preparing the next generation of citizens. Under the test-centered education system which operates in Taiwan and other parts of Asia the emphasis in education is on turning out young people who can perform well in society as they grow up. Only those students who score well on annual entrance examinations will be able to go on to the better schools to continue their education. Those who fare poorly in the exams will be thrust out onto the job market to begin their career lives. This educational system makes many people feel that 'learning ends when you leave school,' or 'studying is for students', and other similar misdirected beliefs. More recently the idea of ongoing education is beginning to take hold, however, as educational levels and living standards rise and people are being encouraged to 'study as long as they live.'
In addition to serving as an adjunct to the classroom, the museum gives people the opportunity to continue learning throughout their lives. This is particularly the case for science and technology museums, which offer careful arranged exhibits with a wealth of information and detail plus a wide range of interesting activities and special events. These are available to all members of the public without regard to gender, educational level, social status or age. Museums welcome everyone to take part and do not require any kind of entrance examination, nor is there any age qualification. Of all the educational institutions society has to offer, museums are the largest in scale, with the widest variety of things to do, and in the future they are going to be a major center for continuing education in the community.
In the 21st century, museums should improve their relationships with school systems so that they can grow from driven sources of supplementary education to driving forces working with schools to take full advantage of the benefits that each has to offer for young students.
Consolidating and Sharing Resources
One paper presented at the symposium introduced the four major international organizations for science museums. This includes ASTC in North America and ECSITE in Europe; RPOP, which has a membership largely from Latin America; and ASPAC, which is primarily located in the Asia-Pacific region. These regional associations were founded to give museums a way to pool their resources and utilize them as fully as possible through the exchange of information and ideas and the promotion of education in science and technology. Their ultimate goal is to allow museums to grow and develop so that they can function as effective educational tools for society.
Taiwan's museums have made tremendous advances in the past few years, yet there has been almost no cooperation between the various museums on the island. One result of this lack of interaction is that most people in Taiwan are not really certain what museums there are and what they have to offer to visitors. Developing a common program of publicity and education among the public would let them know what facilities and activities are available so they could make better use of them. For instance, many schools have initiated programs in which they cooperate with museums to augment their educational efforts and give students wider exposure to their studies. For the most part, however, these programs have been limited only to the schools in the areas immediately surrounding the museums, and there has been little or no contact between schools and museums in more distant locations. If each museum have to do marketing by itself, publicity and promotion would be a very ineffective and relatively expensive way to inform school authorities and teachers about what museums can offer their students, Thus an agency or team should be appointed to begin work on consolidating resources for Taiwan's museums.
At present there is a Chinese Museum Association in Taiwan, but this organization has not taken action to encourage this sort of cooperation among the various museums around the island. This is very unfortunate, because each of the museums in Taiwan offers its own distinctive materials and information, and it would be in the best interests of all to encourage interaction between them. In short, the Chinese Museum Association should adopt a two-pronged approach. First is to encourage cooperation between the museums operating in the region in order to improve the level of expertise at each institution; and the second is to make the public more aware of what museums are available so that they can make better use of them. As a member of the museum community of Taiwan, I personally hope that the association will take steps soon to encourage these types of activities.
Number of Visitors and the Quality of Education
Science and technology museums are educational institutions where people come to learn, and they are also places where people can relax and enjoy themselves. Like any recreational area, the number of visitors is a direct indication of how popular and success the museums are. If the number of visitors is increasing, then obviously the museum is widely popular to the public. Conversely, if the number is declining then the museum is either not very interesting or it is not doing enough to promote its facilities and activities to the public. The trend toward two-day weekends in Taiwan has caused a sudden explosion in the number and size of recreational facilities vying to attract crowds on Saturdays and Sundays, and museums must be prepared to deal with the effects this competition may have on the number of visitors. At the same time, we must keep in mind why we want people to visit and utilize the museums. Statistics on the number of visitors to a museum cannot be used to determine what people are learning once they enter its doors. Although entertainment is a key part of what museums offer, the primary focus must remain on education, and this is what sets a museum apart from an amusement park. Thus museum officials and staffs must continue to strive to provide the best educational experience possible rather than simply concentrate on filling the hallways and galleries with bodies. When a museum is overcrowded it can have negative effects on both the visitors and the facility itself. This can be readily seen in our own experience when the National Science and Technology Museum was officially opened to the public with no admission charge. For three days some 40,000 to 60,000 people jammed the museum, jostling against each other with precious little chance to take in the exhibits and information. It was impossible in many places to watch the videos being shown or listen to explanations, and the overwhelming number of people using interactive displays led to considerable damage that required several days of repairs afterward.
If there is no visitors, the museum is unable to develop its educational function. Thus it is inevitable that some museums must hold high-profile events in order to attract people to visit the museums. At the same time, we cannot forget that our primary mission as museum operators is to educate the public on science and technology, and we must insure that the exhibits and materials inside the museum will be able to draw and hold the interest of visitors. As for our visitors, we hope that they will keep in mind that the museum is a place to learn instead of a place to play, and we hope that they will come each time in expectation of finding new things to discover and explore in the world of science and technology.