When we opened the UK’s first dedicated Department of Museum Studies in 1966, few people would have predicted that it would become the global focus of a discipline credited with spearheading the transformation of today’s cultural institutions.

The shift in the perception of museums – from dusty, unchanging and elitist to the dynamic, vibrant cultural focal points of today – has corresponded with a growing recognition of the critical role that museums perform in society. And many of the key insights that have shaped the agenda have come out of Leicester’s world-renowned Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG).

For example, new research has meant that museums are now more open to displaying collections about the lives and work of disabled people, as part of the acclaimed ‘Rethinking Disability Representation’ project. It’s testament to how far we’ve come that mainstream museums are beginning to tackle subjects that in the past were seen as difficult, controversial or outside their remit.

Far from simply training up gallery professionals, the Department (now renamed the School of Museum Studies) is helping museums to fulfil their potential, become more socially engaged and have the courage to experiment. What’s more, the latest national Research Assessment Exercise reveals there’s a higher proportion of world-leading researchers based here, in this School, than for any subject area, anywhere in the UK. An exciting collection of resources and talent, we think you’ll agree.

• School of Museum Studies
• Research Centre for Museums and Galleries

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