The museum heritage of Italian universities : current situation and improvement opportunities

Italian universities have a rich museum heritage accumulated since their origins, which in some cases date back to the Sixteenth century. From that period it has been enriched and transformed, to include at least 265 museums, collections and monuments, unfortunately mostly unknown. Is this heritage a marginal one, or is it to be valued? This research will propose an answer, starting from the description of the heritage, considering its role, interpreting the universities policies, and examining the dynamics of its management and prospects for improvement. There is no specific complete and updated bibliographical source on Italian university museums in general, nor on the specific aspects covered by this research, while there are many articles and monographs on individual museums and “museum systems” that have been particularly useful in reconstructing the history and characteristics of exhibition. For this reason the research was carried out by using and comparing other sources of different types such as documents, websites, interviews and appropriately compiled questionnaires. University policies turn out to be various and contradictory and just a few of them perceive their museum heritage as a point of strength, dedicating it adequate resources. However, it still has a priceless value, closely linked to research and teaching, both for the university community and society, thanks to its quality and consistency of collections, as well as its current function, that could easily be enhanced in better conditions. In many cases, the situation could be improved simpley using coordinated management, in order to optimise resources and limit investment, and general planned policies.