University museum

Historically, the focus of university museums and galleries included curatorial research into, as well as the display of, commemorative, ceremonial, decorative and didactic collections.

For students, museums performed both a leisure and learning function, developing their visual literacy, critical thinking, and creative skills.

Aside from campus, museums served their perspective city and town's communities, spreading museological literacy among the different target audiences.

[3] Public educational outreach is considered now by many university museums as an integral part of their mission, some even adopt a market approach.

[4] Changes and decentralization of the institutional values coinciding with budgeting shortfalls in some cases "gave rise to tensions and a lack of cohesive identity among a demoralized staff".