Role of Museums

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Role of Museums
Introduction
The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum located in London is regarded as the biggest museum in the world with attractive design and arts. The museum whose foundation dates back to 1852 under the title of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert houses a permanent series of over 4.5 million materials (“History Of The V&A – Victoria And Albert Museum” 1). Additionally, the museum is a non-departmental public entity under the governance of the Department of Sport, Culture, and Media in its locale position of Brompton district of the Royal Borough of Chelsea and Kensington (“History Of The V&A – Victoria And Albert Museum” 1). V&A is made up of 145 galleries equipped with objects of over 5,000 years of design and artwork dating from the prehistoric eras to the modern age, as well as from the traditions of North Africa, North America, Asia, and Europe all placed on a 12.5-acre land. Moreover, V&A holds some of the biggest as well as the most wide-ranging costumes, glass, ceramics, printmaking and prints, textiles, old items, ironwork, jewelry, photographs, furniture, monuments, and drawings in the world. The museum contains the globe’s biggest collection of post-classical monuments (“History Of The V&A – Victoria And Albert Museum” 1). Furthermore, as from 2001, the museum resorted to refurbishing project of £150 million that has seen the inclusion of new gardens, guest facilities, galleries, and shops (“History Of The V&A – Victoria And Albert Museum” 1).

Role of Museums
The UK museum industry comprises of the most prosperous institutions in the world finding only a few similar organizations across the globe. The large numbers of museums serve as a major opening that originates from the quickly changing UK economy (“The Importance Of Museums | South West Museums & Libraries Association Champion” 1). However, the country with other developing nations will recognize the necessity of financial flexibility and creativity in the future. The museums create the primary global service exchange programs via exports as well as support for the innovation that provides the grounds for acquiring the high value added activities to the world economy. Hence, the industry will turn out to offer aid in the progression of new goods and services as well as manufactured goods to a given extent. However, such expectations are difficult to achieve in the absence of such collections and regions of skills and creativity (“The Importance Of Museums | South West Museums & Libraries Association Champion” 1). In the contemporary society, people have coiled perceptions about museums such as viewing them as businesses, showcasing centres, public areas, storehouse, education institutions, research institutes, as well as centres of memorialization. The museums are in most cases induced into new activities by both the local and national government regulations and policies. However, the custodian sustainable values the displays and exhibitions depicting the historical information and item understanding.
Additionally, museums play a significant role in the UK’s economic sector. In consideration of the guest’s consistent expenditure behaviour, the museums have been reported to generate approximated revenue of about £1.5 billion per year. In addition to that, museums also have a positive impact on the entire economy. Museums have served as a source of employment that has been attributed to the 9,000 job opportunities in the major museums like the V&A museum (“History Of The V&A – Victoria And Albert Museum” 1). The employment has in return reinforced the social capital at the same time initiatives that boost the economic advancement are also established as a result of the expansion and sustenance of the local, national as well as the regional organizations. The creation of job opportunities, social capital, and the economic value has swiftly improved the living standards in Britain. Apart from that, museums also play a crucial part in maintaining the culture and improving creativity. The excellent UK museums are significant components in the mass communication of creativity, ideas, and culture. There has been a record of over 42 million people visiting the major museums in the UK resulting in an accumulation of income as well as the sustenance of the industry which further affirms the job opportunities for the UK and the economic advancement of the nation. Also, other public services including medical care and security can, hence, undergo some improvement resulting to better living standards. Therefore, it is seemingly like the industry is a consistent contributor to the nation as well as the social welfare.
Furthermore, museums also play a critical role in the civil society. Societies are always yearning for unity amongst its people for peaceful coexistence. Museums play a significant role in bringing these people together through the acknowledgment and gratefulness of diverse cultures and ethnic groups existing in the UK community. Peace is necessary for a joyous and a happy family, society, community, nation, as well as the world at large. Museums functions positively throughout the local, national, and global civil society corporates, providing a link between history and scholarship, on the one hand, and on the contrary provides leisure, social unity, creativity, and future (“The Importance Of Museums | South West Museums & Libraries Association Champion” 1). Museums have a responsibility of using their accumulations to inspire the embracement of shared heritage in the British society that in return will foster cohesion an essential aspect in uniting the citizens. Additionally, the museum programs will also serve to impart the feeling of purpose and pride in the UK citizens, who will in return understand their responsibility in accomplishing and advocating for peace, unity, and understanding in the societies of the entire world.
Another important aspect of museums is that they contribute significantly to both the social and educational systems of the UK economy. Museums serving as educational centers have stretched their partnership activities into colleges, universities, and advanced education systems, in addition to the adjusted availability to schools as well as increasing the number of young people’s attendance. On the other hand, serving as a source of job opportunities, the generated revenue is evenly distributed to the community as remunerations. In return, individuals are in a position to afford the medical care services, transport, and other life necessities. As periods passes by the museum facilities, require renovations that are acquired through the re-cultivation of the generated revenue. Therefore, to achieve this, the museums must commercialize their services and provide a lasting experience for the guests to permit them to acquire finances necessary for sustaining their activities (“The Importance Of Museums | South West Museums & Libraries Association Champion” 1). The money obtained contributes to the expansion of economy through corporation tax as well as personal income. It is also worth noting that visiting museums can be pleasurable, educational, and enjoyable for all the visitors. Therefore, the principle aim of a museum is to serve as a reservoir of education through the exhibition of accumulations of the cultural items. As people visit the museum, they end up knowing and learning something new. Moreover, museums also incorporate items, products, and information that must and can be integrated into the education sector to inspire and enhance the school curriculum. Besides, the teacher’s support for such systems, museums also should establish educational programs to support various levels of the educational structure of the education sector (“The Importance Of Museums | South West Museums & Libraries Association Champion” 1). An adequately expressed museum education program is a necessary feature of the whole educational system in the UK economy.
Similarly, museums also play a crucial part in the tourism industry. Tourism is one of the thriving commercial sectors in the UK economy which has been estimated as the fifth leading sector in Britain. The museum forms the center of the tourism in the UK as it plays a significant role in attracting visitors across the globe. Surveys conclude that eight out of top ten prominent attractions sites in the UK are the national museums, in addition to the 51.3% of the adults in the UK that visited the museum 2012 (“The Importance Of Museums | South West Museums & Libraries Association Champion” 1). The museums consistently continue to be well known with the worldwide visitors at the same time the UK culture has been valued as the cause of many visits in the UK by foreigners. Tourism in the British economy benefits the UK economy in some ways. Tourism drives the economic improvement as well as domestic investment in the whole of the UK through the drawing of big numbers of guests. At the same time stimulates the secondary expenditures, directly and indirect creation of employment at the same builds a necessary atmosphere for investment (“The Importance Of Museums | South West Museums & Libraries Association Champion” 1).
Conclusion
In summary, the UK’s society benefits exponentially from the museums. Museums are connected to other sectors in the region and, in turn, the connection promotes the industries affected. For instance, the association of the museums with the education sector improves and maintains the cultural studies as well as an understanding of the historical events and arts among the young persons and students. Additionally, it has been reported that museums are the core institutors of the tourism sector in the United Kingdom’s economy. Some individuals are attracted to Britain to gain the experience of the UK cultural aspects, in turn, promoting the social and cultural recognition of the UK and dispersing it across the globe. Eventually, a museum like the V&A improves the social and national cohesion of the United Kingdom.