MUSEUM COLLECTIONS AS SOURCES FOR THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The paper reviews the problems of using museum collections in the studies in the history of science and technology. The authors aims to identify the specific features of the information potential of museum collections and develop the approaches for studying such collections as sources for the history of science and technology. The history of science and technology is largely based on written sources while material objects of technology including those stored in the museums are studied much less often. The only exception is the history of the ancient and medieval engineering and technology where archaeological materials are being extensively used and the methodologies for working with material sources are being developed. Based on the reconstruction of historical process of forming the museum collections whose content is relevant to the history of science and technology, it is concluded that, by now, a considerable wealth of objects related to the history of science and technology has accumulated in the museums of various kinds. The author identifies a range of researchers, both Russian and international, who use museum collections in their works in the history of science and technology. These works are analyzed, and it is emphasized that such studies are still very few. It is assumed that the existing widespread attitude towards museum collections is associated with the lack of advanced theoretical and methodological approaches to working with material sources. The author's original approach to fulfilling the information potential of material sources in the history of science and technology is based on using the following parameters as main elements of the critique of such sources: the operating principle, the engineering solution, and the manufacturing technology. Reviewing the information potential of material sources from this perspective, three levels of historical information revealed in such sources may be identified: the information concerned with the history of science, the information concerned with the development of engineering and technology, and the information about the development of manufacturing technology. One of the areas in the history of technology for which the museum collections play an important role is the history of development of particular technologies. In this case the described approach to enhancing the information potential of material sources in the history of science and technology may be used as a basis for identifying the main types and species of an object under study that emerged in the course of its evolution, and for periodization of its development. In closing, having pointed out the topical objectives for the history of science and technology and museum work, the author concludes that studying museum collections offers good prospects for both the historians and the museums' researchers.