In 1958, UNESCO formulated the definition of ‘museology’ at a regional seminar in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, many museologists have attempted to define the concept of museology. Museology is defined as being comprised of a social role and a scientific discipline that monitors a museum as a cultural institution from the theoretical and practical point of view. They also state that the museum is the focal point of museology.

Museology, as a scientific discipline, is considered as information science. It deals with the “identification, preservation, and communication of the museality of the material manifestations of culture and nature (mainly musealia) in order to preserve human heritage and to interpret and transmit its significance.” It is also concerned with “forms of organized and institutionalised human activity (especially museums) serving these goals” [9, p. 85]. The core of museology is the heritage of mankind, the individual’s relationships to it, and its place in the lives of people.

Museology is considered as an auxiliary historical, art-historical and archaeological discipline. Museology began from practical instructions on how to collect, preserve, study, and exhibit objects of cultural and natural heritage. As a science, it is inseparable from practice, it develops from practice and at the same time it is confirmed by practice. The need to collect and preserve objects, and the necessity of mutual communication between humankind and the world of objects preceded the act of collecting and preserving. The development of collecting and presenting cultural and natural heritage influences the development of museological thought. Museology concerns with the theoretical study of the phenomena presenting themselves in practice. Collecting experiences arose from practical work and were applied to it. It was the case of ideas to exceed practical application [2, p. 134 - 140].

In general, museology consists of historical, theoretical, specialised, and applied museology. The different types are related to each other and impact each other. Historical museology observes the achievements of the past from a historical point of view. Theoretical museology offers a scientific and theoretical base for museology. Specialised museology links general museology with disciplines, such as art history, natural history, and concentrates on the research of the material evidence of mankind and its environment. Applied museology is supported by other disciplines and deals with the practical implications of museology [3, p. 394 - 403].

The concept of museography originally appeared in the title of a book, which presents instructions in working with collections. It later acquired the meaning of describing a museum, its collections, and indicating the practical level of applied museology. Museography is related to other parts of museology because it constantly verifies theoretical museological thought. The theories are tested in practice and compel museology to deal with theoretical solutions to the problems that have appeared in protecting the cultural and natural heritage [12, p. 68 - 69].

The concept of museography is more related to the function of the museum as an organisational form of museological work than to the work of the preservation, conservation, and restoration of cultural and natural heritage.

Museography has got a privileged position as for formalisation of procedures vital to the work of the museum as an institution, and its ability to function properly. It should assume the role of applying achievements in museology at the level of museological practice in museological institutions. Museography establishes, organises, and takes all the relevant practical measures for items of the heritage to be preserved in museums. It develops the elaboration and technical implementation of all forms of communication of the museum item and the ambience of heritage as a whole [12, p. 68 - 69].

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