ABSTRACT
Understanding the nature of collecting, its historical development and its impact on museum development is an important requirement for museum staff. It provides a context within which to view your museum’s collections and the history of their development. It gives insights into the changing ways in which people have used and presented collections in museums, and above all makes people think about and question the approaches they use in their work. Museums can no longer claim to be the only source of knowledge, meaning or understanding about collections. They do, however, represent a significant body of expertise in the formation and use of collections. They can help users explore collections in many different ways and a good understanding of types of collections and their development is a valuable and necessary basis for their work.
