Bianca Gendreau
Manager – Canadian Museum of History
Session#3, Tuesday 27th September, 11:00
Making collections accessible, tradition, trend and tyranny
Although they preserve the past, Museums are also searching for new methods to reach and engage with their audiences. Over the years, Museums have developed online catalogues, web initiatives and other visitor-facing programs to make their collections accessible for research and public access. During this presentation I will share how our Museum will develop a collection access program where certain collections could be handled by researchers or by community members during cultural events.
The Museum is responding to changes and will endeavor to create a program that better align our wishes and our collections to make them more accessible to Canadians. I will examine issues and questions raised in the process. What should be the terms and the selection criteria for objects that might be considered for the program? How to respond to concerns such as risk to the objects, physical state and rarity? All questions the museum will need to consider before facing this challenge.