« EDUCATION AND SKILLS Managing Managing University Museums V o l u This publication focuses on the role of university museums, their organisation, m University management, governance and finance. Most university museum collections have e been assembled for the purposes of teaching and research rather than for public 1 3 display. Whether small, of local importance or large, with great public appeal, they , Museums N are all defined by their relationship to their university and form a distinctive sector o . in the museum community. 1 The papers gathered in this book take this distinctiveness into consideration. They examine the common issues and problems that university museums are facing, among which the most important ones are funding and collection management. Many examples of good and imaginative practice are presented as regards EDUCATION AND SKILLS fundraising, widening public access, integrating information resources, marketing, management and international collaboration. The book has been edited by Melanie Kelly, administrator at the International Center for Higher Education, School of Management, University of Bath. M a n a g i n g U n i v e r s i t y M All OECD books and periodicals are now available on line u s www.SourceOECD.org e u m s www.oecd.org imhe ISBN 92-64-19524-6 89 2001 05 1 P -:HSTCQE=V^ZWYU: Volume 13, No. 1 Managing University Museums ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: – to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; – to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and – to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan (28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7thJune1971), New Zealand (29th May 1973), Mexico (18th May 1994), the Czech Republic (21st December 1995), Hungary (7th May 1996), Poland (22nd November 1996), Korea (12thDecember 1996) and the Slovak Republic (14th December 2000). The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD (Article 13 of the OECD Convention). The Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) started in1969 as an activity of the OECD’s newly established Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI). In November 1972, the OECD Council decided that the Programme would operate as an independent decentralised project and authorised the Secretary-General to administer it. Responsibility for its supervision was assigned to a Directing Group of representatives of governments and institutions participating in the Programme. Since 1972, the Council has periodically extended this arrangement; the latest renewal now expires on 31st December 2001. The main objectives of the Programme are as follows: – to promote, through research, training and information exchange, greater professionalism in the management of institutions of higher education; and – to facilitate a wider dissemination of practical management methods and approaches. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED AND ARGUMENTS EMPLOYED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE OECD OR OF THE NATIONAL OR LOCAL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED. * * * © OECD 2001 Permission to reproduce a portion of this work for non-commercial purposes or classroom use should be obtained through the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC), 20, rue des Grands-Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, tel. (33-1) 44 07 47 70, fax (33-1) 46 34 67 19, for every country except the United States. In the United States permission should be obtained through the Copyright Clearance Center, Customer Service, (508)750-8400, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 USA, or CCC Online: www.copyright.com. All other applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or part of this book should be made to OECD Publications, 2, rue André-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France. FOREWORD University museums are powerful resource centres for higher education institutions wishing to maximise the impact of their teaching and research and to reach new audiences in their region or beyond. They therefore have a unique, bridging role in the dissemination of knowledge and of the understanding of science – besides their primary roles as keepers of collections in various fields. University museums are, however, also facing challenges, many of which are connected with constraints that are affecting most other sectors of higher education. Their staff and leaders therefore, often with good reason, feel concerned that they are not prioritised as highly as they would have wished. This particularly regards financial resources and attention of university management to their needs – in spite of innovative ways of communicating with new audiences and in spite of well preserved and well presented collections. University museums therefore need to be well aware of their different roles and of the challenges they face. They also must work together, develop partnerships and new projects. One important element in the mission of the OECD Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) is to assist institutions to meet their organisational objectives effectively. Therefore, the IMHE Directing Group decided to devote one of its seminars – in the series of "What works - Best practice" events – to the management of university museums. This volume is a selection of the Paris seminar papers organized according to the main themes addressed. It is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. © OECD 2001 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction by Melanie Kelly, England...................................................................................7 SECTION 1. ROLES AND CHALLENGES 1.1. University Museums in the 21st Century – Opening Address by Lyndel King, United States...........................................................................19 1.2. The Dual Role of University Museums: Its Influence on Management by Vanessa Mack, Australia...............................................................................29 1.3. The Challenge of the University Museum by Dominick Verschelde, Belgium....................................................................37 SECTION 2. RAISING AWARENESS AND WORKING TOGETHER 2.1. Collections in the United Kingdom by Kate Arnold-Forster and Sophia Mirchandani, England...............................47 2.2. The Cinderella Collections: An Australian Fairy Story by Di Yerbury, Australia....................................................................................55 2.3. Managing the Visibility of University Museum Collections by Peter Stanbury, Australia...............................................................................69 2.4. A Regional System of University Museums by Fausto Pugnaloni, Italy..................................................................................79 2.5. Uniting Forces: The European Network and National Collaborative Projects by Steven W.G. de Clercq, Netherlands.............................................................85 © OECD 2001 5 Managing University Museums SECTION 3. PARALLELS AND PARTNERSHIP WITH PRIVATE BUSINESS 3.1. Strategic Planning and Action for Success in a University Museum of Natural History by Peter B. Tirrell, United States......................................................................105 3.2. A Public-oriented and Educational Museum by Peter de Haan, Netherlands.........................................................................121 3.3. Funding and Public Access through Partnership with Business by Ian Carradice, Scotland...............................................................................133 SECTION 4. NEW PROJECTS 4.1. New University Museums: An Opportunity for a New Strategic Vision The Brooking Collection, University of Greenwich by Sue Millar, England.....................................................................................143 4.2. Public Understanding of Science: Universities and Science Centres by Hannu S. Salmi, Finland..............................................................................151 4.3. Funding and Museum Ownership by Kati Heinämies, Finland..............................................................................163 4.4. The Patras University Science and Technology Museum: Fulfilling the University Museum’s Dual Role by Penelope Theologi-Gouti, Greece...............................................................169 4.5. A New Museum of Electrical Technology in Pavia: A Public Museum in a University Campus by Antonio Savini, Italy...................................................................................179 4.6. New Horizons for the Crafts Study Centre Collection and Archive by Barley Roscoe, England..............................................................................187 Conclusions by Melanie Kelly, England...............................................................................197 6 © OECD 2001 INTRODUCTION by Melanie Kelly,1 England Abstract The IMHE seminar on managing university museums provided a forum for discussions on the role of university museums, their relationships with their universities and society in general, their collaborative work, their financing, and the implications of widening public access. Some museums are coming under close scrutiny as part of resource and space reviews conducted by their universities. As research and teaching needs change, a university museum may find its usefulness as an academic resource has diminished. To survive, the museum may accentuate its position as a showcase for the university’s achievements, reinforcing the image of the university as a place of culture and learning. Attracting a diverse audience becomes part of its public relations function. The university museum must face up to a challenging dual role, protecting the values embodied in its position within an institution of higher learning whilst at the same time providing the stimulating environment demanded by the general public. This has a direct impact upon management decision-making particularly in terms of defining the museum’s mission, implementing a business plan and conducting fundraising. The IMHE seminar on the management of university museums In September 2000 the Institut finlandais in Paris hosted a two-day international seminar on university museums organised by the Finnish Cultural Centre and 1. The author wishes to thank the following for the support and guidance they gave her as she edited this book: Jacqueline Smith and Jan Karlsson of the IMHE Secretariat; Ian Jones, Chadwick Jones Associates; Richard Mawditt, Gordon Brown and Vhyna Ortega, The International Centre for Higher Education Management; Andrew Kelly. © OECD 2001 7 Managing University Museums the Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE).2 The seminar attracted over 60 delegates from 17 countries and served to encourage the exchange of information, ideas and good practice across national boundaries, laying the foundation for greater collaboration internationally. It provided a forum for discussions on the management of university museums, their relationships with their universities and society in general, their collaborative work, their financing, and the implications of widening public access. Delegates came from a range of different institutions representing different academic disciplines and with different museological traditions, but all shared a commitment to, and enthusiasm for, university museums. Although this publication does not constitute a complete set of proceedings of the seminar, all the papers published here were written by seminar delegates and the topics covered are representative of the issues raised. A recurrent theme that runs through the papers is that the university museum must face up to a challenging dual role. It must protect the scholarly values appropriate to its position within an institution of higher learning whilst at the same time providing the stimulating environment demanded by an increasingly sophisticated and diverse audience. This has to be achieved with limited funding and has a direct impact upon management decision making. The papers in the first section look at the particular challenges faced by the university museum today. Drawing upon her knowledge of university art museums in the US, Lyndel King shows how the shift away from curatorship to satisfying the needs of audiences has led to a reassessment of the university museum’s mission. Vanessa Mack looks at the implications of the changing role of university museums and how this necessitates redefining their management style. In his paper, Dominick Verschelde shares his experience of some of the day-to-day problems faced by those working in university museums, from labelling specimens to dealing with inheritances. Section two gives examples of ways of raising awareness and encouraging people to work together. In a joint paper, Kate Arnold-Forster and Sophia Mirchandani write of the survey of higher education museums, galleries and collections in the United Kingdom. Di Yerbury outlines the lessons to be learnt from the Australian review of university collections. Peter Stanbury gives 2. For convenience, throughout this publication the term “university” is used in reference to any degree granting higher education institution. 8 © OECD 2001 Introduction practical advice on helping university curators to effectively discharge their responsibilities through the use of networking and partnerships. Fausto Pugnaloni writes of an integrated national and regional network of university museums in Italy. Steven de Clercq argues that those working in university museums should unite forces to more effectively manage and protect the academic heritage which has been entrusted to them. Section three looks at similarities and links between university museums and private business. In their papers, Peter B. Tirrell and Peter de Haan show how the principles of strategic planning can be adapted and used by university museum managers. Ian Carradice writes of a public-private partnership between a university and a commercial company working to establish a university museum in Scotland. The final section gives some examples of new projects. Sue Millar uses the case of the Brooking Collection at Greenwich to address the issue of how to develop new agendas for university museums, Hannu Salmi writes of the development of science centres and their promotion of the public understanding of science. Kati Heinämies looks at the implications of funding and museum ownership in relation to the University of Helsinki's plans to open a new museum on the history and development of Finnish scholarship. Penelope Theologi-Gouti and Antonio Savini both describe the development of new science and technology museums in, respectively, Greece and Italy. In the final paper Barley Roscoe writes of the aspirations for a crafts collection which has recently moved from one higher education institution to another. This introductory paper provides an overview of the main themes covered in the book, drawing on comments made in the presentations and group discussions at the Paris seminar. The university collections University museums have generally evolved from the commemorative, ceremonial, decorative and teaching collections gathered from various sources during their universities’ history.3 In some instances external benefactors have 3. For an insight into the origins of university museums and collections see Hamilton, J. (1995), “The role of the university curator in the 1990s”, Museum Management and Curatorship, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 73-79. © OECD 2001 9