Can Museums Keep Up With a Changing World? Skills Management as a Practical Response

Abstract

Museums, like other professional sectors, have been impacted by profound changes over the last 20 years. Major drivers of change in an increasingly complex and globalised world include the development of information and communications technologies, financial constraints, growing expectations of visitors, and competition from other cultural sectors.

These shifts manifest themselves in various ways: in profound changes to organisation and communication practices and to working methods (particularly a turn to project modes and collaborative projects); and in evolving relationships to knowledge. Job mobility is also increasing, and the sector is seeing a diversification of professional statuses. In addition to traditional roles that are clearly identified by duties carried out (e.g. director, curator, conservator, etc.), a multitude of other professional profiles—defined not in terms of ‘occupation’ but rather of ‘activities’ or ‘tasks’—are proliferating in the sector.

To anticipate these developments and appreciate their consequences, museums must develop genuine forward‐planning skills. This creates numerous challenges: namely, to consider digital technology skills and cognitive and behavioural skills alongside academic and scientific competencies. Furthermore, the prospective management of skills requires specific attention to training and to recognition and acquisition tools. Museums must also take into account factors such as employee accountability and empowerment, as well as professional recognition and support for staff. By drawing attention to the particular example of Switzerland, this article will demonstrate how professional organisations can support and benefit from these profound changes.

Notes

1. The first computers appeared in museums in the 1980s, but the development of computer networks in the 1970s and the emergence of the Internet in the 1990s were decisive factors in these changes.

2. The above‐mentioned authors also point out that the contribution/reward ratio will become more complex in the future, and new relationships based on donations/counter‐donations will develop.

3. Generation Y refers to people born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, also referred to as ‘digital natives’, who have grown up in a digital environment and are wholly familiar with digital technology.

4. According to the online Oxford Dictionnaries definition, ‘crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project by raising funds from a large number of people, typically via the Internet’. Many museums of all sizes, are also using this method of financing. As part of its campaign Tous mécènes!, the Louvre Museum appealed to crowdfunding to finance the acquisition of the Trois Grâces by Lucas Cranach and to finance the restoration of the Winged Victory of Samothrace in 2013.

5. In 2009, France made all national museums under the direct authority of the central government free for all French residents and EU citizens aged 18–26, as well as for teachers (see Ministère de la culture et de la communication, online).

6. In 2003, ICTOP, in partnership with the committees of ICOM France, ICOM Switzerland and ICOM Germany, issued a European Frame of Reference for museum professions, which resulted in national versions. It defines 20 professional profiles in terms of functions, education and additional qualifications. This is not, strictly speaking, a competency framework, but it is a useful tool for developing job descriptions, and identifying and adding value to the functions concerned. The next step might be to specify required competencies.

7. The 2011 version of the Répertoire des métiers et des compétences du Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (REME) describes eight typical jobs in the library, documentation, archive and museum sectors. In addition, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication published in 2012 a list of professions (RMCC) including museum jobs.

8. In most cases, there is no specific policy on how to enact a transition from written to electronic documentation. The loss of information over time is a real risk, despite the importance of information for museums. Future historians will have the difficult task of realising their research and analytical work for tracing the history of institutions.

9. If a digital image can be copied easily and effectively, then disseminated widely via the web, which version of this image is the authentic record?

10. Also called ‘Makerspaces’, these platforms combine traditional media and digital media to develop creative projects. ‘Competencies for Information Professionals in Learning Labs and Makerspaces’.

11. Universities could follow the example of the John Hopkins University programmes or the New York University Master of Museum Studies programme, which both offer courses on information organisation and classification.

12. This represents quite a significant change for traditional curators. While they still exercise authority, it is in a climate of collaboration with other professionals. Alongside their scientific expertise in the museum or department of which they are in charge, they must also coordinate and facilitate the transmission of content. They exercise this responsibility along with cultural outreach workers: curators provide indirect mediation services and cultural outreach workers perform direct outreach.

13. SaaS is a leased software maintained remotely and not hosted on the user's premises. Billing is based on usage. Examples include Talentsoft, Successfactors, Taleo, etc.

14. Cloud computing enables users to use servers, storage, applications and services, without owning them, on a shared network, all easily accessible via a secure Internet connection.

15. Museomix is an annual international event in the form of a three‐day creative marathon bringing together professionals with diverse skills, all ‘interested in culture, technology and innovation who want to share an open, connected and participatory museum’. The objective is to design, co‐create and test new ways to mediate exhibitions and experience museums. See online website at: http://www.museomix.org/.

16. The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) recognises professional experience or responsibilities exercised in another setting (e.g. associations), allowing people to obtain a diploma, a title or a professional qualification certificate. Diplomas, certificates and titles can be earned through experience (and not just through formal education) without testing.

17. The electronic badging system has its origins in physical badges awarded in the United States by sports clubs, game associations, and by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. First used in the IT sector, they began to be used in the wider field of Education in 2010.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marie‐agnès Gainon‐court

Marie‐Agnès Gainon‐Court is a museum professional who has worked in the field for 25 years in France and Switzerland. Her academic background includes studies in sociology, ethnology, museum studies and museum education. She also holds a Certificate in Comparative Public Policy from IDHEAP (Switzerland). After serving as Assistant Curator at the International Museum of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent in Geneva for a decade, she went on to carry out various missions as a freelance consultant: she holds particular expertise in areas including the design and realisation of exhibitions, collections management projects, museum education programmes, quality assurance implementation and human resources. She was a member of the ICOM Switzerland Training Task Force from 2001 to 2016, and since 1999 has been the director of the association's Basic Course in Museum Studies (in French). She also organises, leads, and coordinates various training courses for museums and cultural institutions. She was a member of the Board of ICOM's International Committee for the Training of Personnel (ICTOP) from 2008 to 2013.

David Vuillaume

David Vuillaume has chaired the joint office of the Swiss Museums Association and ICOM Switzerland since 2006. After pursuing studies in art history, museology, and business administration, he gained extensive experience in project work at various museums and institutions. In addition to his full‐time occupation, he is a member of the Foundation Board of the Swiss Museum Pass. In 2012, he was elected to the board of the Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO), and has served as its chair since 2014.