Museums – What To Do With The Excess?

Museums generally have many more objects than they can exhibit. So there have been proposals to “use it or lose it” whereby museums could divest themselves of objects they may no longer want, or might profitably sell. But “the fate of artefacts should be kept away from the demands of the purse or politics. That way they are free from being manipulated by politicians or by threats to a collection in a funding crisis. Museums are not shops or businesses. They were founded in order to ensure the survival of and research into artefacts, manuscripts and works of art. Short-term financial gain would be achieved at the expense of the fundamental purpose of the institution. It is not always predictable in the present what will be regarded as interesting in the future.”