DEVELOPMENT OF MUSEULOGICAL CENTRE AT KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY 

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the background to the study, the statement of the problem, purpose of the study, specific objective of the study, research questions, scope of the study, significance, based on management of electronic information resources.

1.1 Background to the study

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) defines a museum as: a non-profit making permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment (Moore, 2001).

A university museum is a repository of collections run by a university, typically founded to aid teaching and research within the institution of higher learning. The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford in England is an early example, originally housed in the building that is now the Museum of the History of Science. A more recent example is the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath, originally constructed as a hotel in 1796 it is now the official museum of the University of Bath (Hamilton, 2005).

University museums are represented by a variety of historical, traditional and novel entities, such as anatomical theaters and archeology museums, natural science and art museums, history museums, planetariums, arboretums and aquariums, archives and house-museums, science and arts centers, ecomuseums, hospital museums, and contemporary art galleries, as well as discipline-specific collections hosted by academic departments and institutes; some special collections are hosted by the university libraries. In general, university museums and collections are classified based on disciplinary criteria or the nature of the artifacts (Lourenço, 2005).

Kyambogo University (KYU) is a public university in Uganda. It was established in 2003 by the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act 2001 by merging Uganda Polytechnic Kyambogo (UPK), the Institute of Teacher Education, Kyambogo (ITEK), and the Uganda National Institute of Special Education (UNISE).

As of January 2012, KYU had six faculties and 2 schools; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Education, Engineering, Science, Special Needs and Rehabilitation, Vocational Studies; and School Of Management And Entrepreneurship And Graduate School.

1.2 Problem Statement

University merged from different institutions of different historical background. No effort is being made to preserve the core museulogical objects and no effort is being made to protect them. There is no policy or organ responsible for it. The university is loosing its historical perspective which needs to be preserved and urgently protected. This proposal is aligned toward that end.

1.3 Purpose of the study

The purpose of the study is to assess the requirements for the development of meseulogical centre at Kyambogo University.

1.4 Specific objectives of the study

1. To assess the current state of museological objects at Kyambogo University
2. To suggest the requirement for establishing museulogical centre
3. To suggest best practices for sustaining the museulogical centre

1.5 Research questions

1. What is the current state of museological objects at Kyambogo University?
2. What requirements are needed for establishing museulogical centre?
3. What can be done to sustain the museulogical centre?

1.6 Scope of the study

1.6.1 Content scope

The study shall aim at assessing the requirements for the development of meseulogical centre at Kyambogo University.

1.6.2 Geographical scope

The study shall be carried out at Kyambogo University (KIU). 

1.6.3 Time scope

The study shall consider information to the organization since the institution was established in 2003

1.7 Significance of the study

1. The findings shall avail the institution with information about the requirements needed for developing a museulogical centre and proper strategies to sustain the centre.
2. The findings of the study shall be relevant to the management of Kyambogo University by suggesting the milestones towards developing a museulogical centre. 
3. The findings of the study shall serve as a benchmark to other institutions who intend to develop a museulogical centre. It shall enable them to better understand the best development practices.
4. The study shall help in generating information for other researchers to advance research in the same area.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the review of the related literature in the line with research objectives.

2.1 Current state of museulogical objects

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) defines a museum as: a non-profit making permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment. This also includes: Aboriginal cultural centres and keeping places; conservation institutes and exhibition galleries maintained by libraries and archive centres; natural, archaeological and ethnographic monuments and sites of a museum nature, for their acquisition, conservation and communication activities; institutions displaying live specimens, such as botanical and zoological gardens, aquaria, vivaria etc; nature reserves, planetaria and science centres (Moore, 2001).

The Uganda museum is the oldest museum in East Africa; it was officially established by the British protectorate government in 1908 with ethnographic material. The history of the museum goes back to 1902 when Governor George Wilson called for collection of objects of interest throughout the country to set up a museum. The museum started in a small Sikh temple at Lugards Fort on Old Kampala Hill. Between 1920s and 1940s, archaeology and paleontological surveys and excavations were conducted by Church Hill, E. J. Wayland, Bishop J. Wilson, P. L. Shinnie, E. Lanning, and several others, who collected a significant number of artifacts to boost the museum. The museum at Fort Lugard become too small to hold the specimens, and the museum was moved to the Margret Trowel School of Fine Art at Makerere University College in 1941. Later, funds were raised for a permanent home and the museum was moved to its current home on Kitante Hill in 1954. In 2008, the museum turned 100 years old (Wesaka, 2013).

The Uganda Museum displays and exhibits ethnological, natural-historical and traditional life collections of Uganda’s cultural heritage. The museum was founded in 1908, after Governor George Wilson called for “all articles of interest” on Uganda to be procured (Jackson, 2013). Also among the collections in the Uganda Museum are playable musical instruments, hunting equipment, weaponry, archaeology and entomology (Lewis, 2013).

According to Antony (2013), the Uganda Museum carries out research across the country, though intensive research has been conducted in Karamoja region (Napak, Moroto and Kadam), Eastern Uganda at the foothills of Mount Elgon (Bukwo) and the whole of western rift to Dellu near Uganda’s border to Sudan. The Paleontological Research Unit has yielded interesting fossils in relation to human evolution. For instance the Uganda Pithecus (fossil skull of a remote cousin of Hominidae). This fossil ape, aged between 19 and 20 million years, was discovered in Napak. Paleo environmental research around heritage sites has also taken place in eastern and western Uganda. The Uganda Museum collaborates with Mbarara University, Makerere University, College de Franca, Natural History Museum in Paris and the University of Michigan in this field.

Organizationally, university museums are represented by a variety of historical, traditional and novel entities, such as anatomical theatres and archeology museums, natural science and art museums, history museums, planetariums, arboretums and aquariums, archives and house-museums, science and arts centers, ecomuseums, hospital museums, and contemporary art galleries, as well as discipline-specific collections hosted by academic departments and institutes; some special collections are hosted by the university libraries. In general, university museums and collections are classified based on disciplinary criteria or the nature of the artifacts (Lourenço, 2005).

The museum has a number of galleries: ethnographic, natural history, traditional music, science and industry, and early history. The ethnography section holds more than 100,000 object of historical and cultural value. A traditional reed door leads to exhibits on health, knowledge systems, and objects of warfare, traditional dressing and other various ceremonial practices in Uganda. The music gallery displays a comprehensive collection of musical instruments from all parts of Uganda. The instruments are arranged according to the major groups of music instruments: drums, percussion, wind and string instruments.

A wide range of collections exist from the 1960s to the present. Specimens are displayed in the Natural History /Palaeontology Gallery which is open to the public. Collections in storage are available to researchers and students on request. Publication of findings can be found in various journals including the Geo-Pal, an online Uganda Scientific Journal.

Apart from the permanent exhibits in the galleries, the Uganda museum offers educational service in form of demonstration lessons, outreach programs, workshops and complimentary services. Using the available specimens, the museum arranges a variety of topical lessons related to the school curriculum. Conducted tours are shown around the museum, as well as giving introductory lectures with slides, films, and other aids. The museum staff from the Education section goes into the more remote areas of the country to teach in villages whose schools are not able to visit the museums. Some objects are loaned out to schools to be used as visual aids. The museum hosts lectures, public talks and workshops on relevant topics to the public in the auditorium. The museum is well equipped with facilities, such as canteen and internet cafe, which offer a variety of traditional foods of Uganda, and gift shops that showcase Uganda’s crafts (Museum Education Services, 2014)

2.2 Requirements for establishing museulogical centre

2.2.1 Money 

The museum is requires financial support in two main areas- capital and revenue. Money for capital expenditure (i.e. setting up costs, building refurbishment, preliminary displays, equipment etc.) can be comparatively easy to obtain as supporters have got something tangible to show for their sponsorship. Revenue will also be needed to cope with the ongoing running costs of the building, conservation – both preventive and interventive, documentation, storage, exhibition work and security (Wallace, 2003).

2.2.2 Time

Frequently organisations setting up new museums underestimate the amount of time needed to carry out their development programme (Tirrell, 2000). A carefully written and structured development plan will avoid unnecessary delays. This will ensure there are adequate and realistic time frames for the tasks ahead and sufficient inbuilt flexibility to allow for the unforeseen (Arnold, 2006).

2.2.3 Skilled People

Volunteers only have limited time to give, and the feasibility of a paid curator should be considered. The range of experience of those involved in setting up and running a museum is a vital consideration in planning (Sandell, 2012). It will be important to develop the individuals involved in the museum project through training to ensure that they can make a useful as well as enthusiastic contribution to the museum (Nightmare, 2012).  

2.3.4 Collections 

A museum without collections is no museum at all. An appraisal of what could be collected within the theme(s) of the museum should be an integral part of the museum planning. The interest of a museum lies essentially in the collections it makes available to its users (Hamilton, 2005). If the collections are inadequate or of little consequence then it may well be argued that investment in a museum to house and care for them is really not worthwhile (Guthe, 2006).

2.2.5 Premises 

Adequate housing is vital. Consider both its collections and the activities to be undertaken by the museum. Much attention has to be given to the suitability of buildings for the range of functions which they are to carry out. Collection holding spaces, with room for growth, is essential. Consider the long term maintenance costs involved in using particular types of buildings (Sandell, 2012). It may well be that a building has to be saved for posterity, but its long term maintenance may impact on other key responsibilities of the museum by draining away limited finance.

Equipment – The range of equipment a museum holds will be built up over a number of years. Pieces of equipment to monitor the museum’s environment (temperature and relative humidity) are an important resource to invest in. Security and documentation materials are others. Other equipment may include computers, display and exhibition materials, storage boxes and reference books (Olmi, 2001).

2.3 Measurement for sustaining a museulogical centre

According to Abdulfattah (2012), each museum has to figure out the conditions of “disposals policy”, this policy should be followed restrictedly against disposal of any of its object collection, and it recognizes that only under certain conditions such disposal may occur. So, the disposals from the museum collections should only take place in rare cases when object is too badly damaged or deteriorated and has no need to be exhibited. 

In the case of establishing new museums, the objects should be selected from the source museums, magazines and archaeological sites, only if they have a great value serving the scenario, in a good condition, and fit with the nature and the aims of the museums. Otherwise, there will be no reason to move or disposal of that objects (Desvallees, & Mairesse, 2010).

Any loaned object must be insured, packed and transported according to the standards of the International museums loan conditions (based upon Governmental Indemnity standards). Loans should not occur if they do not have a valid educational, scientific or academic requirement. The security of the object transfer should be satisfactory (ICOM Ethics code for Museums, 2013)

In developing the collections, there is a common emphasis on the importance of recording provenance, to place objects in the context of their unique or distinctive histories of production, ownership and usage (Bradford Museums, 2005 – 2010). To collect objects, each museum should think of presenting a complete display of main purpose and type of the museum. The collection museum should be based upon the objects which were discovered in the surrounding area which was rich in archaeology and ethnography materials or at least objects from other precinct or museums with a historical connection with the newly establishing museum. The “collection policy” of collecting objects (acquiring collections) for museums must be followed centrally and not be left to the individual museums.

Objects should be handled as little as possible very carefully. Needless to say that objects should be lifted and moved in padded containers (trays, baskets, trolleys, etc) by means of specialized professional experts. In some cases, Egyptian curators have carried and transferred objects by taxi from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to the National museum in Alexandria. It is supposed that Packing and object transportation should be supervised by the professional conservators, and preferably carried out by trained a staff who is experienced in objects handling and packaging (Eissa & Maher, 2008).

The documentation and registration are essential processes to run museum collections. They are important to establish the identity of objects in the collection; record essential information relating to them; to allow rapid search and retrieval without physical handling; and as essential aspects of security and audit. (Bradford Museums, 2005 – 2010). The Egyptian museums should follow one numbering system “Code” To facilitate recognizing museum objects when moved from museum to another (Roberts, 2004: 31).

The Library/Archives provides interlibrary loan access to its collections through cooperating libraries and institutions to those researchers who cannot obtain the material or information elsewhere. The library and Archive aim to acquire and preserve publications and documentation concerning the museum collections and to make the material available to researchers and interested public. The museum should only collect archive material if it is directly related to collections (Lewis, 2004). 

Each museum has to keep rules and regulation of Requests for loan of Library/Archives materials, which are placed using the Interlibrary Loan Form and in accord with the international Loan Code except for legal or curatorial considerations. The Original manuscripts, maps, state archives records and rare books should not be loaned for research purposes (Hawass, 2010).

In conclusion, the authority of Museums should examine current strengths and weaknesses of the Museum’s policies, and specifically planning of building new museums and its related “collection policy. So, they have to establish a general standard “collection policy” for the museums. This will help minimizing random decisions concerning objects transfer from museum or magazine to another. This will allow also decision maker to have a clear idea about the current situation of the “objects stock”, and the actual necessities of building new museums, and the priority of such museums to be built up.

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the research methodology which include; Research design, study population, sampling techniques, instruments of data collection, procedure of data collection and data  analysis.

3.1 Research design

A research design helps researchers to lay out the research questions, methodologies, implementation procedures, and data collection and analysis for the conduct of a research project Mugenda and Mugenda (2003). In this study a descriptive research design shall be used. Descriptive studies attempts to describe a subject by creating a profile of a group of problems, people, or event (Cooper & Schindler, 2000). Descriptive research design shall be used because it is effective to analyse non-quantified topics and issues, the possibility to observe the phenomenon in a completely natural and unchanged natural environment and the opportunity to integrate the qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection which other designs do not provide. The study shall also use a descriptive design because it enables the researcher to collect in-depth information about the population being studied..

3.3 Study population

According to Cooper and Schindler (2000), a population is the total collection of elements about which we wish to make inferences. The target population of the study shall include; library staff, lecturers.

3.4 Sample size

Denscombe (1998) poised that, the sample must be carefully selected to be representative of the population and the researcher also needs to ensure that the subdivisions entailed in the analysis are accurately catered for. The sample size shall consist of 20 respondents from the study area. The study shall use a sample size of 20 respondents because it is enough for the study to obtain reliable information. In addition, it shall help the researcher to finish her study in time.

3.5 Sampling method

The study shall use purposive sampling method because it is one of the most cost-effective and time-effective sampling methods available and it also helps to explore anthropological situations where the discovery of meaning can benefit from an intuitive approach.

The study also shall use simple random method to reduce on the biasness of the purposive data because it is free of classification error, and it requires minimum advance knowledge of the population other than the frame. Its simplicity also makes it relatively easy to interpret data collected in this manner. 

3.6 Data collection methods and instruments

3.6.1 Questioning method

These involve a set of questions which are usually arranged systematically and logically to achieve to specific research objectives. A questionnaire is a self-administered questionnaire is the only way to elicit self-reports on people’s opinion, attitudes, beliefs and values. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the selected respondents using structured questions (Sekaran, 2003). The researcher shall use the questionnaire method whereby she shall draft to respondents structured questions. This method shall be used because some respondents may have no time to sit down and answer during interviews.

A questionnaire guide shall be used and this shall be inform of close ended in nature and this shall allow the study respondents to fill the questionnaire in the study field. The questionnaire method of data collection shall be used because of being cheap and that the method collects responses with minimum errors and high level of confidentiality.

3.6.2 Informal observation

It is also called unstructured or exploratory observation. This is usually done when the research group has little knowledge of a population and its behaviour. The main purpose of informal observation is to create hypotheses to be tested later, in a survey or using for a survey. This method involves watching and listening to people.

3.7 Data collection procedure

The study shall observe all procedures followed in research. Using the letter of introduction obtained from the Research Coordinator, the researcher shall be introduced to every respondent reached at, fully explaining the purpose of research. After getting their consent, she shall set a program with the respondents on when the questionnaires shall be administered and date for the interview sessions shall be set. The researcher also shall build the confidence of the respondents by assuring them that their views shall be confidential and shall be used only for academic purposes.

3.8 Validity and reliability of research instruments

There are no scientific principles which would guarantee a valid and reliable questionnaire, but there are ways in which this can be pursued. First, the items in the questionnaire should be based on prior research whenever possible. Due to this, in this study most of the questions shall be to be based on prior research. Secondly, the questionnaire should be pre-tested (Malhotra & Birks 2007).

3.8.1 Validity

Validity can be defined as the degree to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure. There are three basic approaches to the validity of tests and measures as shown by Mason and Bramble (1989). Law & Kelton (1991) suggests that if a questionnaire model is “valid”, then the decision made with the questionnaire model should be similar to those that would be made by physically experiencing with the system. To test the construct validity, citations of all sources where materials and evidence of material collected from shall be provided. The supervisor shall review the questionnaires and approve them.  The instruments shall be pretested to ensure with about five people to ensure it’s valid.

3.8.2 Reliability

According to Mugenda et al. (2003), reliability is the degree to which a measure is consistent in producing the same reading or results when measuring the same thing at different times. Reliability is influenced by random error, that is, as random error increases, reliability decreases. When conducting research, the researcher shall try to act as neutral as possible in order to avoid being bias. The researcher shall be also conscious about the type of questions to ask.

3.9 Data analysis

The data collected shall be edited for accuracy, completeness and to find out how well the answered questionnaires, interview guides and checklist shall be and this shall be done in line with the questionnaires, interview guides and checklist. The edited data shall be coded. Coding shall involve assigning numbers to similar questions from which answers shall be given unique looks to make the work easier. In this case Ms-excel shall be used to analyze the coded data.

Presentation of data shall involve use of tables, pie-charts and graphs that shall be generated from the questions relevant to the study variables. Interpretation and discussion of the results shall be done as the researcher shall explain the strength of the study variables basing on the frequencies and percentages, charts and graphs. 

3.10 Limitations of the Study

The study shall be faced with a problem of not finding all respondents in the study area especially the employees who go to field as a group. The researcher however shall arrange with them to fix for her an appropriate time in order to collect reliable and valid information from them for the study.

The researcher further shall face a problem of some respondents not providing information for the study as information relating to the study variables, however to this, researcher shall explain to them that the information shall be only for the academic purpose while making them to understand the study variables.

REFERENCES

Arnold-Forster, K. (2006). Museums for the Future: Recognising new relevance for University Museums. 

Chatterjee, H. J. (2011). Object-based learning in higher education: The pedagogical power of museums. International Committee for University Museums and Collections (UMAC) Proceedings, 3. 

Guthe, A. K. (2006). The Role of a University Museum. Curator: The Museum Journal, 9: 103–105. 

Hamilton, J. (2005). The role of the university curator in the 1990s. Museum Management and Curatorship, 14(1), 73-79. 

Lourenço, M. C. (2005). Between two worlds: The distinct nature and contemporary significance of university museums and collections in Europe (Doctoral dissertation). 

Olmi, G. (2001). Science-Honour-Metaphor: Italian cabinets of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In: O. Impey & A. MacGregor (eds.), The origins of museums: the cabinet of curiosities in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe, second edition, pp. 1-17. House of Stratus, London. 

Sandell, R., & Nightingale, E. (2012). Museums, equality, and social justice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. 

Tirrell, P. B. (2000). A synopsis and perspective of concerns and challenges for the international community of university museums. Curator: The Museum Journal, 43(2), 157-180. 

Tirrell, P. B. (2000). Dealing with change: university museums of natural history in the United States. Museum International, 52(3), 15-20. 

Wallace, S. A. (2003). Challenges for university museums: museums, collections and their communities. Les partenariats actifs des musées universitaires, 28. 

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LIBRARY STAFF AND LECTURERS

Dear respondents,

I am Nakyeyune Zubedah, a student of Kyambogo University.  I am carrying out research on the development of museulogical centre at Kyambogo University. I humbly request you to spare some few minutes of your time and answer these questions below. The study is strictly for academic purposes and shall be treated with utmost confidentiality. Your cooperation is highly appreciated. 

Thank you.

Section A: Background information

Note: For each of the questions, tick against your response or write your response in the blank space provided.

1.Gender

1. a) Female b) Male
2. Level of education being pursued

Diploma Degree Masters PHD

SECTION A: CURRENT STATE OF MUSEOLOGICAL OBJECTS

3. Does the university have museulogical centre?

Yes No

4. Which kinds of museulogical objects are there?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Are they well managed?

Yes No

6. If no, what has been the cause?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

SECTION B: REQUIREMENT FOR ESTABLISHING MUSEULOGICAL CENTRE

6. For a meseulogical to be developed, what is need?

Money Time People Collections 

Premises Equipment

Others specify ………………………………………………………………………………….

7. What has hindered the university in developing a mesulogical centre?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

SECTION C: BEST PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINING THE CENTRE

8. What do you think should be done to sustain the meseulogical centre at the university?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME