not-for-profit museums have been subjected to accelerated change

Since the early 1900s, not-for-profit museums have been subjected to accelerated change, due to a refocusing of government policy; a well-educated community with higher expectations of museums and a more diverse community which desires a better reflection of contemporary issues in museums (Griffin, 1987; Ames, 1989). At the same time, the level of funding to museums has come under increased pressure, arguably forcing directors of museums to become entrepreneurial, particularly when devising strategies to meet the needs of their creative mission (Rentschler and Geursen, 2003). Museums are fulfilling a role of tellers of a sacred story and sometimes on a sacred site. Museums are therefore combining the traditional, functional role with their new purposive role (Weil, 1990; Thompson, 1998), using a range of approaches including online technologies. Functional definitions relate to activities performed in the museum and are object-based: to collect, preserve and display objects. More recently, the shift in definitions relates purpose to the intent, vision or mission of the museum where the focus is on leadership and visitor services: to serve society and its development by means of study, education and enjoyment (Besterman, 1998). These definitions are illustrated in Table 1.1.