FUNCTIONS OF SCHOOL MUSEUMS OF NOVOSIBIRSK REGION: BETWEEN EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Abstract

The article examines the functions of school museums, their role in the development of the educational environment as well as in formal and informal relationships at school. The aim of the paper is to study manifested functions in practice, using the example of school museums of various types in Novosibirsk region. The research is based on the idea of recognized basic functions of school museums: documenting and educational-upbringing. The method of semi-formalized interviews with the heads of school museums, the analysis of documents from the sites of schools, photographs, acquaintance with the expositions of school museums were used. As a result, it is shown that the school museum is a multifunctional, versatile structure that is capable to perform larger range of functions than was originally thought. Additional functions were mentioned: ideological, image, cultural-enlightenment, organizational-communicative function and career guidance. It is shown that school museums, being a form of additional education for children, acting in the normative field for the institution of culture, perform functions for the development of comprehensive and additional education, create an objective and semantic basis for educational activity and integrate the educational and cultural spheres. The problems of school museum’s activities have been identified: dependence of the existence of museum due to the enthusiasm of its leader, problems of low financing, lack of space for expositions, organizational problems (lack of information for leader and for members about opportunities for participation in conferences, other events, restrictions on schoolchildren's participation because of lack of transport), lack of access to professional expertise of exhibits, and others.