ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the importance of the professionalisation of the work of the museum from the 1840s onwards. The significance of the technical rationality upon which museum professionalism rests is identified, and the role of this rationality in providing justifications and legitimation for the work that is undertaken within the Museum is explained. The role that the staff of New Walk has played in establishing new elements of museum professionalism over time is noted, ranging from the development of the work of museums in education to the establishment of international standards of ethical practice within museums. The role of professionalism in providing a basis for the exercise of technical rationality in the face of other social and political rationalities is identified, and the consequences of this for the work and status of the Museum within Leicester City is clarified.
