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UMAC and QLM-SJTU consolidate their partnership

Marta C. Lourenço and Kai Zhang, Qian Xuesen Library and Museum, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Today, UMAC and the Qian Xuesen Library and Museum of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have publicly agreed to take their partnership to a more substantial level.

Here are some of the changes:

  • UMTWS (University Museum Training Weeks Shanghai) will be more directed to the needs and aspirations of university museum professionals.
  • There will be internships in overseas university museums for Chinese university museum professionals.
  • A high profile event, called the SJTU Directors’ Forum, will bring together university museum directors, higher education senior administrators and stakeholders from the museum and culture sectors, to discuss strategic issues related to universities, museums, heritage and culture.
  • The creation of a Research Centre for University Museums and Collections at SJTU.

The agreement was made after the opening session of the UMTWS 2019, and counted with the presence of An Laishun, Vice-President of ICOM; Guan Qiang, Vice-President of the National Cultural Heritage of China; and Hu Hao, Member of the SJTU University Council, among others.

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University Museums Training Week Shanghai: 2019 edition is next week!

Next week, 33 university museum professionals from China and Japan will participate in the University Museum Training Week Shanghai UMTWS 2019, 23-27 April, organized by UMAC-ICOM in partnership with the Qian Xuesen Library and Museum, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The UMTWS is part of UMAC’s strategic Professional Development Program, aimed at significantly increasing the qualification of university museum professionals worldwide. Almost 100 Chinese professionals have been trained by the UMTWS since its first edition in 2016.

In 2019, UMTWS is dedicated to the theme INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY: A ROADMAP TO UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS TODAY. The program of the 5-day course is rich and intense, encompassing lectures, round tables, workshops and visits to university museums in Shanghai. Faculty includes Andrew Simpson (Macquarie University, Australia), Jill Hartz (University of Oregon, USA), Xiangguang Song (Peking University, China), and Zhongmou Li (Shimao Group, China).

Moreover, the opening ceremony will count with Qiang Guan, Vice-President of the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China, and An Laishun, Vice-President of ICOM and Vice-President and Secretary-General of the Chinese Museums Association, in representation of ICOM.

In the words of Marta C. Lourenço, UMAC-ICOM President, and Kai Zhang, Executive Director of the Qian Xuesen Library and Museum, “UMTWSs are currently the only regular and sustained training offer for university museum professionals anywhere in the world and we want to reach many more in coming years. That is why in 2019 we are both very excited to take the UMAC-QLM-SJTU partnership a step further”.

UMTWS 2019 is supported by the two largest university museums associations in China: the National Educational Alliance of University and College Museums (NEAUCM) and the Shanghai Educational Alliance of University and College Museums (SEAUCM).

Media release

 

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UMAC contribution to the ICOM museum definition debate

ICOM is promoting a debate about the museum definition. The current museum definition dates from the 1970s (with changes introduced at the 2007 General Assembly in Seoul). Fifty years have meanwhile passed and ICOM is compiling contributions from museum professionals all over the world.

The importance of the ICOM’s museum definition should not be underestimated. Governments, accreditation agencies, among others, in many countries, derive national legislation, regulation and standards for the museum sector from the definition.

When the debate opened, we made an announcement here and we strongly encourage UMAC members to participate. More than 150 proposals from all continents can be read here.

UMAC wants to contribute:

Is there anything we can — and should — contribute as a collective? Does the current museum definition reflect the needs and aspirations of university museums and collections? What should we add? What is our agenda, if any?

Please send your views to Marta Lourenço, or leave your comment below before the end of April.

The current ICOM Museum Definition is:

The museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.

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First ever university museums meeting in Indonesia

Today, c. 20 managers of university museums in Indonesia are meeting at the Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, in Jakarta, for the First National Colloquium of University Museums.

UMAC Chair Marta C. Lourenço addresses the Jakarta Colloquium (photo Musiana Yudhawasthi).

UMAC strongly encourages this Colloqium and wishes fruitful discussions — perhaps even a national network? — to Indonesian university museums.

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Kyoto #UMAC2019 Program just released!

The preliminary program of the 19th UMAC Annual Conference in Kyoto has just been released.

AND WHAT A PROGRAM!

Here are some of the highlights:

  • 2 Keynote Speakers
  • 62 Oral Papers
  • 45 Poster Papers
  • 1 Special Session with ICTOP (ICOM International Committee for the Training of Personnel)
  • 1 Special Session about University Museums and Collections in Japan
  • 3 pre-conference Workshops
  • 1 post-conference Seminar (Tokyo)
  • Visits to university museums and collections in Kyoto

Papers from: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, UK, USA.

Download the  UMAC 2019 DETAILED PROGRAM

More info about UMAC 2019.

Registrations for ICOM 2019 — do not forget to register before April 30!

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Did you register for UMAC Kyoto yet?

This September, Kyoto will host the 25th General Conference of ICOM, the biggest and most important conference of museums in the world, with more than 3.000 participants from all international backgrounds. This worldwide reputed hub for exchange and innovation will tackle the theme “Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition”.

It is through this lens that around 3,000 museum professionals from all over the world will explore the main topics of the conference. ICOM’s International Committees and many National Committees, Regional Alliances and Affiliated Organisations will organise conferences, workshops and other events. Together with Standing Committees, the secretariat will offer plenary and panel sessions about sustainability, the museum definition, disaster risk management and cultural diversity.

Have you already registered for #ICOMKyoto2019?

Early bird tickets will be available until April 30 (00:00 GMT+9). Book your pass today and save up to 100€.

Read more about the UMAC Annual Conference program in Kyoto here.

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TRANSFER ZONES: UNIVERSITY | COLLECTIONS | PUBLIC SPHERE

Conference hosted by the University of Münster (WWU) in cooperation with the University Collections Association (GfU)
11 – 13 July 2019

 

CALL FOR PAPERS

Transfer is not a particularly new concept. In the past, it referred to the implementation of economically relevant or application-oriented research findings. Nowadays the term has taken on a broader meaning. In a position paper published by the Wissenschaftsrat (German Council of Science and Humanities) in 2016, “transfer” is defined as the conveyance of scientific and technological knowledge into society, culture and politics in the context of various activities.

Accordingly, the Wissenschaftsrat classifies science communication as a transfer activity and explicitly designates exhibitions as a potential transfer medium. This is by no means surprising as museums have been important institutions for the public re-presentation of scientific study and discoveries since the 19th century. However, the Wissenschaftsrat holds a critical view of the traditional concepts of popularisation and knowledge transfer because, by its nature, transfer is not one-directional, but rather a mutual relationship based on exchange and can only succeed if the content and methods correspond to the needs and expectations of the public.

The question of how to form such asymmetrical relationships has been the subject of intensive discussion at least since the literary scholar Mary Lou Pratt coined the term “contact zones” in 1991. New variants of the concept, such as “trading zones” (Galison, 1997) and “transaction spaces” (Nowotny/Scott/Gibbons, 2004), indicate that the academic community has come to a new understanding of science and its transfer relationships. Under this expanded definition of transfer, the focus has also shifted to less frequently considered aspects of university collections and the services they provide, e.g. consultation and advice, translation services and collaborative research activities.

University collections are especially conducive for testing experimental forms of object-oriented transfer. Because of their unique character, university collections can pursue very different paths than, for example, traditional museums. Collaborating with other “transfer specialists” at universities can produce promising results, be it in relation to subject-specific didactics, transfer centres or science communication departments within the faculties. With this in mind, the conference aims to highlight the performance potential of university collections for scientific transfer both within and outside the university.

At the 11th Collection Conference, hosted by the University of Münster and the University Collections Association (GfU) from 11th to 13th of July 2019, participants will discuss how and to what extent scientific collections can contribute to university transfer activities. What forms of transfer activities are conceivable? What might a successful bi- or multi-directional transfer look like? What processes of change could be set in motion by focusing on transfer in and for the collection – as well as within the university?

For the upcoming conference, we are interested in theoretical-reflective papers and praxis-based contributions. The following formats are planned:

Presentation sessions

The conference will focus on:
regarding the transfer zone COLLECTIONS | PUBLIC SPHERE
•    locations and media of transfer
•    mobile transfer formats
•    re-presentation of pathways to knowledge
•    models for bi- and multi-directional transfer
•    collections and application-oriented research
regarding the transfer zone COLLECTIONS | UNIVERSITY
•    collaboration with particular disciplines, science research, science communication and subject-specific didactics
•    positioning collections within university transfer strategies
The length of the presentations should not exceed 20 minutes.

Workshops

The workshops should offer participants and especially the curators of university collections the opportunity to share praxis-oriented expertise and experience. Possible themes include:
•    transfer formats, analogue and digital,
•    new developments in provenience research and its funding
•    technical and conservational issues
Further suggestions for workshops on the conference theme “transfer zones” are welcome.
Participants may also submit individual wishes for the workshop section.
The workshops can have a duration of one or two double periods.

Poster Session

A poster session will offer the possibility to present and discuss current projects and the latest research findings.

 

Grants

The University Collections Association (GfU) will award six grants of a max. 200 euros each to offset the cost of travel and accommodation expenses for doctoral candidates who provide a substantial contribution to the conference (presentation, workshop, poster). Please submit an informal application to the treasurer of the GfU, Prof Dr Cornelia Weber.

Conference languages are German and English.

Please send your presentation, workshop proposal (max. 1,500 characters) or poster proposal (max 750 characters) together with a short CV by email no later than March 15th, 2019 to the following address:
Dr Eckhard Kluth, Central Curator
Central Curatorial Department of the University of Münster

Email sammlungstagung@uni-muenster.de

Conference website here.