More than Souvenirs--An Analysis of the Roles of Souvenirs in Enriching the Museum Visiting Experience

Abstract

This thesis researches the roles of museum souvenirs in enriching the museum visiting experience, focusing on the relationships between the souvenirs and the museum visit. It aims to discuss what roles the souvenirs play in the museum visit. The visiting process is divided into three stages in this thesis, the pre-visit period, the visiting stage, and the post-visit stage, to form an organized structure to analyze the roles of souvenirs within different steps. The three roles of souvenirs, messengers, extending branches, and promoting points, targeting different stages of the museum visit, are abstracted from examples of museum souvenirs in recent years. In the end, by analyzing the movement of the souvenir industry, the thesis states some ideas and reflections, including re-navigating souvenirs' identity, re-establishing the relationship with museums, and balancing the commercialization and culture expression mission of museums.