MUSEUMS IN TIMES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. FOCUS ON ROMANIA AND ITALY

Museums depend on two factors to achieve their educational and cultural missions: heritage/collections and audience. In the past decades the role of museums in society, as well as the way they relate with their audiences changed significantly. As in many other domains, the internet and technological development influenced museums' public offers and how they interact with their audiences, either visitors or the online public. Nevertheless, museums' strategies have concentrated on effective visitors to the museums' premises. One of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic was the complete closure of museums around the world. Therefore, museums had to adapt to remain significant to their audience and to continue to achieve their missions. The present investigation tries to map innovative approaches of museums, especially the ones in Romania and Italy. A special focus is put on the strategies adopted by museums aiming to help their communities better cope with the pandemic.