Contact: Organizational Culture of the Museum and Visitors in the Light of Entries in Guest Books

The paper deals how to define relations between guests and organizational culture in museum. Guest books are lectured at temporary exhibitions presented at the Museum of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, from the half of 20th Century up today. They are the source of analysis of the characteristics of the relationship between the museum and visitors as well as the review of opinions and assessments when receiving the exhibition. The exhibition is a product of the museum’s organizational culture. The culture is the process and state that determines the hierarchy of values and activities, it decides about the identity of employees, as well as about the convictions the institution about itself. Statements about the museum and exhibitions, recorded in guest books, reflect the characteristics of organizational culture and they signal various ways of self-identification of the recipients of the exhibition. Contact is understood here as a state of compliance of the museum’s mission and strategy as well as the intentions and goals of the visitor. Analysis of entries due to content will allow to find answers to the following questions: What are the symptoms of connecting the visitor to the museum? Which elements of the museum’s organizational culture are distinguished by the visitor? What are the characteristics of the space of “contact”?

The paper deals how to define relations between guests and organizational culture in museum. Guest books are lectured at temporary exhibitions presented at the Museum of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, from the half of 20th Century up today. They are the source of analysis of the characteristics of the relationship between the museum and visitors as well as the review of opinions and assessments when receiving the exhibition. The exhibition is a product of the museum’s organizational culture. The culture is the process and state that determines the hierarchy of values and activities, it decides about the identity of employees, as well as about the convictions the institution about itself. Statements about the museum and exhibitions, recorded in guest books, reflect the characteristics of organizational culture and they signal various ways of self-identification of the recipients of the exhibition. Contact is understood here as a state of compliance of the museum’s mission and strategy as well as the intentions and goals of the visitor. Analysis of entries due to content will allow to find answers to the following questions: What are the symptoms of connecting the visitor to the museum? Which elements of the museum’s organizational culture are distinguished by the visitor? What are the characteristics of the space of “contact”?