The Future of Libraries &Archives: A Trend Towards the New Museum?Brennen OgawaLIS 650 & LIS 672

Are Libraries and Archives the New Museum?

Trench Towards Convergence/ Partnership

•Drivers for Convergence

•Tyne and Wear Museum

•University of Calgary•Contemporary Jewish

Museum•PALMM•MOAC

Trend in Mission

•Informational Repositories•Role of Curator and Archivist, Librarians •Content and History, i.e. Shangri La, HSA,

Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, UH Archive and Special Collections

•Preservation Goals•Storage and Care Concerns•Educational Mission•Serve as “society’s collective memory”

History of First Museums, Libraries & Archives • The first “public” museum,

The Louvre, was opened on August 10, 1793, following the overthrow of the Louis XVI.

• The Louvre began its public transformation opening first to the elites, scholar, and artists, while being arranged into “classes” while claiming to represent a redistribution of power.

• The first archives/ libraries were started in many civilizations to document the history, religion, and culture of the civilization

• Reading and writing was once reserved for the “elite” and “religious”

• First opened to scholars, elites, religious and government officials.

• Modern archives movement began following the French Revolution

Mission Statements• The Sam Waller Museum serves to collect, preserve and interpret our community’s heritage for visitors to explore and appreciate.

• The mission of the University of Denver’s Penrose Library Special Collections and Archives Department is to collect, arrange, preserve, and make accessible the permanent records of the University as well as rare and unique collections that support the University’s administration, teaching, research, and service.

Trend in Archive and Library Exhibitions

• Balch Institute, exhibit entitled, “Italian-American Traditions: Family and Community”

• “The Japanese American Experience”• National Archives, “Uncle Sam Speaks: Broadsides

and Posters from the National Archives”• “Discovering the Civil War”• “Every Four Years: Electing a President”• Offer intimacy and a sense of participation• Provide greater access• Curators of history

Digital Exhibitions and Virtual Museums• Digital Museum?• Blur the line between the two in the network information

society• Define informational value of digital representations• Natural progression for archivists: who have managed

databases for decades• Facilitate community interaction• Provides opportunity of uniform standards which can

bridge institutions• Today we can search up to a half million descriptions in

archival records• Provide arrangement and order options• Generate “Buzz” around colection

Are Libraries &Archives Transforming?

• Collections spaces• Move towards design• Rethinking of traditional archives• Aim to offer different trajectories for the future of

archives, on being the new museum

Cont. • New fusion space for exhibitions while

primarily remaining a research facility• Provide access while being repositories of

history and culture• Can archives be the new museum?• They have similar trajectories: similar histories,

missions, goals• Move towards partnerships and convergences• Trend in creating exhibits from archives• Trend in technology and the digitization of

collections

Works Cited:• Allyn, Nancy, Shawn Aubitz, and Gail F. Stern. "Using Archival Material Effectively in Museum Exhibitions."

American Archivist. 50.3 (1987): 402-404. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://archivists.metapress.com/content/g5203123461g2208/fulltext.pdf>.

• Curry, David R. “One Potential Future for Museum, Archives, libraries.” American Association of Museums. Center for the Future of Museums. 8 Mar. 2010. <http://futureofmuseums.blogspot.com/2010/03/one-potential-future-for-museums.html.>

• Foote, Kenneth E. "To Remember and Forget: Archives, Memory, and Culture." American Archivist. 53.3 (1990): 378-392. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://archivists.metapress.com/content/d87u013444j3g6r2/?p=ca988a29b0e542349ffc26b5c58ca825&pi=1>.

• Heald, Carolyn. "Is There Room for Archives in the Postmodern World?" American Archivist. 59.1 (1996): 88-101. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://archivists.metapress.com/content/u854130x02844653/?p=3b5fc6416cec4f92b1d0972920c7cc42&pi=5>.

• O'Sullivan, Catherine. "Diaries, On-line Diaries, and the Future Loss to Archives; or, Blogs and the Blogging Bloggers Who Blog Them." American Archivist. 68.1 (2005): 53-73. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://archivists.metapress.com/content/7k7712167p6035vt/?p=9d56ce3a39074a8795b9e2d10e87c53d&pi=7>.

• Pederson, Ann. "Do Real Archivists Need Archives & Museum Informatics?" American Archivist. 53.4 (1990): 666-675. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://archivists.metapress.com/content/y32h731602772u36/?p=3b5fc6416cec4f92b1d0972920c7cc42&pi=4>.

• Trant, J. "Emerging Convergence? Thoughts on museums, archives, libraries and professional training." Museum Management and Curatorship. 24.4 (2009): 369-386. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.archimuse.com/papers/trantConvergence0908-final.pdf>.

• Yarrow, Alexandra, Barbara Clubb, and Jennifer-Lynn Draper. "Public Libraries, Archives and Museums: Trends in Collaboration and Cooperation." International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. 108. n. page. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ifla.org/files/public-libraries/publications/prof-report-108/108-en.pdf>.