Summary
Contemporary approaches to the documentation of museum collections presuppose its consideration as an integral aspect of the broader term “collection management”, in which the emphasis is on various museum activities, i.e. on the management aspects in the formulation of the policy and use of resources. In the context of adoption of modern forms of communication between the museum and the audience, which implies openness to the demands of visitors/users and imperative of unity and exchange of information not only at national but also at international level, particular attention was paid to reconsideration of all aspects of the notion of documentation. It is recognized as the vital tool that should provide the basis for research of collections, not only in terms of their origin, but particularly in terms of their context and meaning in the universal sense. Since the virtual access to collections and information about them has become the most important aspect in the development of management and use of museum resources, contemporary researches based on information technologies focus to a signifi cant extent on the development of standards for the processing of digitized museum materials, i.e. on providing uniform content for the purpose of exchanging information among museum institutions. Special attention is also paid to consideration of the opportunities of co-operation between the so-called “memory institutions” (museums, libraries and archives), driven by the feasible possibility of integration of cultural heritage in the information environment. Requests for critical consideration of access to cultural heritage offered by information technology have posed the question of the mediating role of institutions in the processes of exchanging knowledge and in searching, shaping and transmission of cultural identity of the community in which they operate. In this sense, as a necessary condition for the fulfi llment of broader social role of museum institutions, the adoption of theoretical settings and technique of the concept of “knowledge management” in terms of documentation is suggested. It is not bound to the change of the core purpose of museum nor to the question of its role as an intermediary and intepretator in the process of formation of knowledge, but it marks a shift in the orientation of museums – from object to user, and a substantial change in the way they communicate with the audience, assuming the fl exibility regarding the sources of information outside their own environment.

Keywords:
documentation, museum, museum collection, collections management, cultural heritage, digitization, standards, networking, collaboration, knowledge management

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