Professional Perspectives
Professional Ethics and the Caring Museum
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kerry Wilson
Drawing upon ethnographic research undertaken with prison library services and museums working in health care settings in England (2017-19), the paper presents a case study of professional ethics in contemporary museum work. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the project has explored the ethical implications of collaborative, cross-sector cultural work undertaken in relation to two priority public policy agendas, including public health and well-being and prison education reform. Using a ‘communities of practice’ (CoP) conceptual framework, the research investigated the transitional efficacy of museum and library sectors’ ethical codes of practice when working in collaborative contexts. The research has furthermore examined the extent to which shared values and ‘situated’ ethical standards are serendipitously developed between collaborating professionals and organisations as cross-sector CoPs mature. Indicative findings and discussion points include the extent of collaborative complexity in 'integrated' forms of policy-responsive cultural work; tensions between political ideology, professional integrity and ethical practice; emotional labour and care strategies in the ethical community of [cultural] practice. The research provides evidence-based guidance on shared codes of ethics in cross-sector cultural work, emphasising the relationship between professional values and the capacity of museum and library sectors to respond and contribute to cross-government public policy agendas in England.
Hybrid Institutional Models in India: The Airport as Museum
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kinga Hamvai
Which museum is the most visited in the world? The official answer to the question is the Louvre in Paris which has more than eight million visitors yearly. However, I propose another alternative: the Jaya He GVK New Museum in Mumbai, which is situated at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and is the most comprehensive collection of the Indian arts and crafts that has more than 5500 artifacts spread across four levels of the terminal. The airport has over 48 million passengers (including the tourists) traveling through every year. In certain sense, this is the most visited museum in the world. The measurement of the visitor figures is problematic: the passengers would become museum visitors even against their will, as the terminal is the museum itself. Thus the postulates of accessibility and inclusivity – among the most important issues of the museum studies discourse – are realized. In addition, it is possible to book a free guided tour at the airport and to attend several museum pedagogy events, etc. At the same time, possessing a valid flight ticket is required upon entering the airport; in this respect, the principle of inclusivity is violated. Stating that the visitor figure is not the indicator of the quality of a museum, the above question aims to challenge the way we are thinking about museums. In this study, I consider the case study of the Jaya He GVK New Museum as an example of a landmark corporate initiative using the museum export technique.
Towards a New Form of Specialized Library : The Heritage Library as Dynamic Space
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ikhlas Shamieh
The study highlights the heritage library at Qatar National Library as a new form of a specialized library, which it becomes as a unique contribution to Qatar’s cultural landscape. By holding a valuable collection of historical material, it becomes a specialized library. It plays the role of cultural curation, where all the patrons and visitors can engage and share their thoughts during their experience through tours inside the heritage library. Since the heritage library includes a permeant exhibition, to present the collection, it offers a space for various ways of learning. It becomes an active area to debate, negotiate, or discuss different topics related to a history of Qatar, Arab, and Islamic civilization. It also reflects historian initiatives to document knowledge heritage of humanity. While a group of a visitors are standing in front of an early printed book, or a manuscript, it becomes not only an item for display; it becomes an area for de-contextualization and re-contextualization of the meaning of this item and its relation to the heritage and history. For instance, it leads to other questions related to the traditional practice of history and heritage so that they can perceive the whole meaning. Furthermore, having all materials on display to be digitized, and to be accessible through the digital repository, leads to a new way of using heritage collection, so it targets all the public. It reflects the meaning of accesses for all rather than “only for researchers”.
