Full text of DOI:10.1111/1468-0033.00255

A new museum for an ancient land:
Patras University Science and
Technology Museum
Penelope Theologi-Gouti
That university museums have a major
role to play in contemporary life and are
far more than the fortuitous outcome of
random collecting is amply illustrated by
the project of Patras University. Located
Patras University was founded in 1964 and need for a museum in order to spread
began functioning in the academic year knowledge about the various sciences to a
1966/67. A self-governing public institu- wider public, improve contacts with the
tion under the supervision of the Ministry city of Patras and emphasize the import-
of Education financed entirely by the ance of a science museum as a tool for
just outside the city of Patras with a view state, its initial orientation was towards teaching the history of science in the
over the Gulf of Corinth to the
science and technology with the first region of Western Greece and the Pelo-
departments to be established being ponnese. After discussions within the
Biology, Mathematics, Physics, and Chem- university community, it was agreed to
istry, followed shortly by Electrical En- create a Science and Technology Museum
gineering and Mechanical Engineering. to acquire, conserve and research (regi-
Over the years the number of departments ster, document and evaluate) the traces of
has grown to eighteen, now including science and technology starting with those
Civil and Chemical Engineering and Com- sciences taught at Patras University. Those
puter Sciences, and the academic orienta- traces could be utensils, tools, machines,
tion of the institution has been balanced technical or other equipment (laboratory,
by the creation of schools of Health pharmaceutical, industrial etc.), archives,
Sciences and of Humanities and Social photographs, cards, books and other
Sciences and departments of Architecture accompanying material, which would be
and Management. Most departments in- exhibited for purposes of study, education
clude several academic divisions, so that and enjoyment. The aim of the museum is
in fact the range of disciplines is even to demonstrate the evolution of science
mountains of central Greece, it lies on a
self-contained campus of about 240
hectares and is now the third largest
institution of tertiary education in the
country. Its decision to create a Science
and Technology Museum was seen as
vital to its mission as a major venue for
scientific research and knowledge. The
author is a member of the museum's
preparatory team and is co-chair of the
ICOM/CIDOC/Ethno Group. She was
formerly secretary and vice-chair of the
ICOM Hellenic National Committee. Her
publications include texts in The
International Core Data Standards for
Ethnology/Ethnography (Collections
Ethnographiques et Documentation
MuseÂale), ICOM Study Series, 3, 1996, as
well as its Greek version published in
greater than it appears at first sight.
and its latest achievements to as broad a
public as possible, including primary- and
Two small museums already exist at the secondary-school pupils, university stu-
University, the Zoological Museum and dents, out-of-school young people, adults,
The Handbook for the Documentation of the Botanic Museum, which mainly serve the elderly, scientists and researchers.
Ethnographic Collections, Athens, 1998.
the research needs of the Biology Depart-
ment. In addition, several university It was decided that plans for the museum
departments, sections and laboratories should be carried out along three parallel
also hold collections of old equipment lines: development of a building and
and material gathered in the field. Since museological programme, including the
his election in 1994, the rector, Professor design and the construction of the mu-
Stamatis Alachiotis, began thinking of the seum structure; collecting, recording and
documenting relevant material, and crea-
tion of the museum's operating structure.
A building and museological programme
document was developed in collaboration
with the university departments and a
comprehensive bibliography and a host of
Internet resources on science and tech-
nology museums and university museums
worldwide were consulted in order to
understand how similar museums func-
tion. The museum's operating framework
An artist's rendering
of the new museum.
was established and the special require-
ments for presenting the various sciences
ISSN 1350-0775, Museum International (UNESCO, Paris), No. 206 (Vol. 52, No. 2, 2000)
ß UNESCO 2000
Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JF (UK) and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148 (USA)
25

Penelope Theologi-Gouti
tender for the museum and seven groups of
jointly acting agencies, all experienced in
developing museum projects, expressed
their interest. The Selection Committee
decided, in March 1999, to charge all seven
to proceed to a preliminary project based
on the directions given by the building and
museological programme and to submit
proposals by 22 June 1999. The winner was
selected and an agreement signed on 5
October 1999 to draw up the final project
which is to be completed in spring 2000. At
that time construction of the museum
building will begin and work on the defini-
tive museological project will be completed
A 1920 manual soldering press engine
belonging to the laboratory of machine
elements of the Department of Mechnical
Engineering and Aeronautics. It was
bought and donated by Professor A.
Dimarogonas.
were recorded in the programme docu- in order to design the permanent exhibi-
ment, which also contains a description of tions and be ready to open as soon as the
the space to be allocated to the museum's building is ready. This will, of course,
diverse activities.
depend on the number of departments that
agree to collaborate and the state of the
different collections at that time.
A focus for campus and community
Among the many collections that already
The museological programme will be exist within the university, some of the
elaborated so as to present the history most important are those of the depart-
and development of the sciences over the ments of Education, Physics, Electrical
centuries (mainly from the nineteenth Engineering and Computer Technology.
century to the present, with references to As indicated, the Botany and Zoology
the ancient Greek period), describe the museums, with holdings of numerous
relationship among the several sciences specimens, will continue to function
and technologies, and demonstrate the separately for the needs of the Biology
divisions and the links between the exact Department. However, other traces of the
and applied sciences and the humanities. biological sciences will be acquired and
evaluated by the new museum in order to
The museum will cover a surface of present their history and evolution. Thus,
3,200 m2, which may be extended, and will it was decided to begin gathering together
be situated in the centre of the university all the existing material as well as sup-
campus, just in front of the conference porting documents such as books, cards,
centre (at present under construction) and photographs, etc., in a single place in
alongside the university cafeÂ-restaurant. order to record, document and evaluate
This position confirms the important role them. The collaboration of the university
that the museum can play within the uni- departments is considered vital and each
versity community and also the vital link was requested to designate a co-ordinator
between the university on the one hand for the Science and Technology Museum.
and the town and region on the other.
The department co-ordinators will have to
The University Technical Service put out a agree on a documentation and collections
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A new museum for an ancient land: Patras University Science and Technology Museum
policy and will be responsible for
indicating the existing materials in their
departments to be placed in the museum,
suggesting ways to enrich them with other
items that have to be found outside the
university, assisting in organizing the
logistic support for recording and docu-
menting the objects, and offering ideas for
the museological design of the exhibitions
and the development of the philosophy of
the presentation of each science. The
university provided a building where the
materials and documentation could be
assembled; after renovation, it will contain
all the facilities and equipment needed to
create the permanent museum collection.
The eventual content of the Science and
Technology Museum will depend on the
number of sciences represented and the in order to develop the museum's opera- A Danish diesel engine donated to the
variety of the traces of their history and tions and work plan. The organization of Department of Mechanical Engineering
evolution on hand, which will, of course, the museum is not yet clear, but it is likely and Aeronautics by one of the oldest
influence the museological implementation that a board of university professors and a engineers in Patras, C. Skouras.
plan and the final form of the exhibitions.
director will lead it. Staff will be needed in
several categories: scientific staff to run the
Existing documentation procedures and scientific activities in collaboration with
data standards developed by different the university departments, administrative
organizations such as ICOM/CIDOC and support personnel (cloakroom,
(Documentation Committee of the Inter- information, etc.) and security guards.
national Council of Museums), as well as
the classification systems currently in use, It is evident that the process of preparing
are being evaluated in order to agree on and organizing the Patras University
the procedures and standards to be adop- Science and Technology Museum is going
ted in the new museum. It is hoped that to be long. However, it is possible that
the full collection, documentation and presentation of single-subject exhibitions,
evaluation process will start at the begin- manifestations for International Museum
ning of the academic year 1999/2000 after Day or other activities may be organized
the museum building is completed.
before completion of all work in order to
attract the public and make the museum
The museum will operate in collaboration known. So, in the space of a few years, we
with the participating university depart- hope to offer to the Patras University
ments, which will be expected to provide community and the concerned public a
staff and other support for such activities contemporary museum that will benefit
as collection, documentation, temporary from existing experience in the field and
exhibitions, educational programmes, etc. respect the standards given by ICOM, and
The structure and functioning of similar one that will constitute an important tool
institutions in Greece and abroad are for the teaching of the history of the
being researched, studied and evaluated sciences.
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