A museum should now be a modern institution and money and museographers are needed for the purpose. The current museographers belong to older generations and have an outdated view as to the management of a museum. But the salaries are very low and it is hard to persuade young people to work in the field. The head of Moldova’s Committee to the International Council of Museums Valeria Suruceanu, director of the National Museum of Arts of Moldova, said the museums now need public-private partnerships so that they are not financed only with state funds, but also use other sources of income, IPN reports.

Valeria Suruceanu noted the role of museum director inherited from the period when these institutions were created is not topical either. A manager who would base the work on projects is now needed. From the previous mission of promoting Socialist ideas, now the museums switched over to research and promotion of the cultural heritage.

The museums can generate profit if they are allowed to manage the finances themselves, without seeking approval. Entrance to the museum for visitors should be free of charge, while the money for maintaining these institutions should come from partnerships and donations. A solution is to exempt these institutions from taxes.

In time, the national museums benefitted from projects financed with European funds and changed their appearance. But the local museums remained unchanged. If no measures are taken to save the local museums, the situation will worsen in five years. If the national museums can today still work, the local ones are in a precarious state. There is no coordination between the director, district council, local businesses as there are no young managers with modern thinking. 

Valeria Suruceanu suggested promoting the local museums in the context of the development of tourist routes so that they become attractive to foreign tourists. The new technologies can bring the young people to the museum more often. The visitors would like to see more than a shelf with things on it.

In Moldova, there are about 130 museums, according to the Register of Museums, and 17 of these are situated in the municipality of Chisinau.