This scientific work devoted to museum as sociocultural institution. In modern conditions, culture is considered one of the main factors in solving social problems. As a result, the role of cultural institutions is growing. Among them, a special place is occupied by museums that embody culture and society in all their diversity. Museumification becomes an important component of the development of a particular sociocultural branch. It consists in the accumulation and rethinking of institutional and technological experience, preservation and improvement of traditions. The core of the museum's work – historical and cultural values. But the aim of museum work is not only collecting values, but also the multiplication and preparation for effective social use. In today’s globalization, when material and intangible weal are unevenly distributed and civilizational gaps are deepening, it is necessary to look for untapped resources for innovative progress. This resource is cultural capital based on historical and cultural values. If provided effective institutional use, cultural capital becomes is a means of overcoming backwardness, or a source of strengthening global advantage. Thus, relevance of investigation of museum as institution of producing cultural capital increases.
The scientific problem of the thesis is that there is knowledge based on the description of empirical data on the variability of the sociocultural purpose of the museum, but there is no theoretically substantiated knowledge about which of it is optimal related to positive sociocultural development and specifics of this institution. There are no complex studies in the field of cultural theory on the effectiveness of the museum and about adequacy of public expectations placed on this institution in various areas of sociocultural development. It is not clear whether the main versions of the sociocultural purpose of the museum contain internal logical contradictions related to the research and educational functionality of this institution. It is not revealed which sociocultural applications of the museum are harmful to the institution and society as a whole, and which are not. The meta-problem is caused by the fact that the empirical question of choosing the best strategy for the functioning of the museum was not brought to the theoretical level. There are only particular scientific discourses that have not passed the procedure of scientific criticism and logical-deductive testing. Thus, the scientific problem of the sociocultural purpose of the museum in view of its institutional specifics can be solved by formulating scientific theories that correspond to particular directions of empirical use of the museum, which determines the relevance of the study.
The result of research is that the optimal sociocultural purpose of museum is based on its laboratory specifics (built on the symbiosis of science and art in the curatorial work), and is to accumulate sociocultural experience (in the form of artefacts embodied spontaneous sociocultural experiment and purposeful sociocultural engineering), sociocultural design (verified by empirical data – result of investigation of museum collections), preliminary testing of innovative sociocultural technologies (integrated into the content of museum representations), fixation of feedback on the results of socio-cultural innovations (synchronous museum collecting as factor piecemeal sociocultural engineering). Due to this, the spontaneous sociocultural experiment becomes controlled. The museum also creates technologies for the adaptation of the sociocultural system in a constantly growing pace of development of society. In addition, the museum streamlines the process of increasing cultural capital, increasing its efficiency.
Thus, summarizing the results of the study, the scientific significance of the work lies in the fact that it managed to develop the direction of theoretical culturology, associated with the development of new configurations of the museum for the most effective solution of socio-cultural problems. This area needs further development – the subject of research will be new aspects of the museum and other sociocultural institutions. The practical significance of the work is manifested in the synchronization of scientific and empirical research of sociocultural purpose of museums in view of its institutional specifics. These institutions, from now on, have clear guidelines for practical activities. Obtained scientific results can be used for formulation of mission of museums, development of programs of activity, creation of concepts of research and exposition work, acquisition of museum collections.
Key words: museum as a sociocultural institution, the sociocultural purpose of the museum, the institutional specifics of the museum, curatorship, culturological museum, socio-cultural technology.
