what will the museum of the future be like?

Do we need to have conferences anymore?

Came across this post (via James Leventhal on Twitter) - Radical Ideas or New Directions for AIC? - about how the AIC might want to think about structuring their conferences in future. There is also a related post, La otra conservation: Radical Questions for Conservation, that also takes further the discussion about the role of professional organisations and poses the thought that "Recently it appears that the question of the role of professional organisations has been coming under greater scrutiny. However, I wonder whether this is in actual fact a bit of an illusion, and if what’s actually happening is that these questions are being more openly discussed because of the technologies (principally Web 2.0) that are driving, and making public, these questions?"

I went to a recent conference, Enterprise 2.0, where two people attended via Twitter through following both the back channel and tweets from the one colleague who the company could afford to actually attend. The summary of the Tweets from that conference can be found here as a conference record - much faster than any other way to share outcomes (instead of the usual waiting for papers to be published, etc, etc).

I'm at the Museums Australia Annual Conference in Newcastle right now and these posts have given me much food for thought in terms of our own professional organisation and the role of the annual conference. Our Twitter stream is #ma2009, doubt if anyone will use it tho - we seem a bit behind here :(

Tags: 2.0, AIC, Web, australia, conferences, museums

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Permalink Reply by Gillian Savage on May 21, 2009 at 11:04pm

Yes, an EVRSIG group here would be good!

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Permalink Reply by Lynda Kelly on May 22, 2009 at 7:53am

Please feel free to set up a group for the EVRSIG - anyone can do it.

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Permalink Reply by James Warden on May 22, 2009 at 12:22am

The Newcastle MA conference was very good.

The regions have a much offer and it behooves us to support those places outside the capitals.

Lynda raises a key point in the head question she has posed.

For me the value of F2F at Newcastle is beyond question.

The shared experience in being there cannot be found in typing - it is to sit in the hall to hear the story that stands for the humanity of Hector Pieterson.

Ali Hlongwane spoke with such a beautiful cadence and he stood still - compellingly - and we all sat still - compelled.

And we have those conferences for the chance encounters on the steps, at lunch across the road on the rock wall, in the halls and at the evening event.

And Gillian is completely right.

The acoustics obliged us to lip read - but worth it for that.

Thanks to Lynda for the dialogue here. The big new ideas are up.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Hubbell on May 22, 2009 at 2:33am

When I worked at a museum that funded professional development, I typically went to 2-3 conferences a year. Since going independent, they're rarely in my budget. Here's some of what I miss:

PRESENTATIONS: I learn well visually and aurally, and still remember many sessions over the years that I refer back to in terms of who has done work on what kinds of issues. Even when I didn't get to a particular session, the buzz about it in the hallways let me know which were important or thought-provoking, and there was often a chance to catch up with panelists later.

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS: When I started going to conferences, I was most excited about meeting the people who'd written the articles I read in my museum studies classes. Knowing them as people, as well as following their careers over the years, gives me more insight into their methods and philosophies. In person, I can observe the interplay of character traits, and how different people arrive at new ideas. High points from scheduled events include the roomful of women who gathered in memory of Stephen Weil at one of The Museum Group's conversations, and a NAME party dancing with my students from JFK and a bunch of the colleagues whose articles I'd put in their reader. My own (often playful) cohort that gathers in the evening helps to integrate ideas from the conference with my own work and life. I love the serendipitous conversations that go deeper on walks between sessions and on buses to and from events.

SERVICE TO THE FIELD: This has taken varied forms: some for conferences, and some inspired by them. A lot of committee work. Organizing and chairing sessions to raise the questions I wanted to hear more about, and to bring in session formats other than thematic groupings of papers (example: one-on-one interviews with VSA old-timers). Asking questions in other sessions. Organizing a regional group of evaluators. Sometimes writing.

I realize that what I care about has an emphasis on community, and passing on our history and respect for each other. Feeling tangibly that I am a part of something larger, and can give something back.

Does that happen online? More with people I've already met. I am grateful to those in the field who take the time to create thoughtful blogs, and opportunities for interaction. I love the sites that gather lots of information that I can go back to and look up. So there's food for thought--but often the Web is more like crackers, and conferences are more like chocolate. Even when it takes chai with a shot of espresso to get me through the last couple of days before flying home.

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Permalink Reply by James G. Leventhal on May 24, 2009 at 5:28am

well said!

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Permalink Reply by Deb Mastello on May 22, 2009 at 10:12pm

I for one loved the conference - this was my first one so I don't have too much to compare it to!!! As a new museum employee it was a valuable learning experience - as much as I am aware of the power of social networks, digitisation and the like - nothing beats for me a face to face meet - especially meeting some of the faces on here and those who were heavily references in my final uni research paper!! Twitter would have been handy for those seminars I wasn't able to attend - incidentally does anyone know if they are being podcast?

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Permalink Reply by James G. Leventhal on May 24, 2009 at 5:33am

Another string of this now running here:

http://westmuse.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/why-go-to-the-conference/

also, nice post with specifics on #AAM09 conference tweeting by Allyson Lazar here:

http://twolsanday.blogspot.com/2009/05/aam-and-twitter-follow-up.html

noted that Lynda K. was tweeting #MA2009 and wanted MORE tweeting/backchanneling....nice to see the need for encouragement all around. room for growth is good, right?

and, more, I think Australia's way ahead of the curve on most matters in these arenas. (arenae?)

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Permalink Reply by Des Griffin on May 26, 2009 at 2:47pm

Of course we need to have conferences! How can people embrace social media, especially twitter, and then ask the question.

I have thought for decades that the question to be asked by those responsible for museums and the people in them ought to not ask the question, "why do you want to travel overseas?" or "why do you want to attend that conference?" but instead ask, "why haven't you asked to go to that conference: I don't care with you are delivering a paper or not!" The proviso is that when the person returns there ought to be a discussion with relevant staff of the ideas presented at the conference or learned about on the travel.

The ongoing stupidity in government circles about requests to travel overseas is simply an indication of the timidity of government: there ought to be a strong statement from responsible ministers that public servants travel overseas to broaden their mind and bring back exciting ideas. A vast proportion of the developments at the Australian Museum from 1978 through 1996 came from ideas and experiences of staff during overseas and conference travels!

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Permalink Reply by Gillian Savage on May 26, 2009 at 6:00pm

Did anyone else get an invitation to complete a survey about the Conference?

"You have been selected to participate in a short survey as part of this evaluation. "

Or was I one of the few lucky (?) ones?

It was hard to answer some questions without the program in hand. What was that session on Tuesday afternoon?

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Permalink Reply by Lynda Kelly on May 27, 2009 at 7:41am

I got that survey too Gillian. Dont know what Tuesday's sesion was either and I think I was presenting!!

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Permalink Reply by Des Griffin on May 28, 2009 at 5:23pm

Since you wanted my comments on the Museums Australia conference Lynda here they are. The conference was extremely worthwhile and as good as most of the conferences of the last few years. I particularly enjoyed presentations on the National Curriculum (Barry McGaw), “Making History” (Philippe Mora) and Museum of Old and New Art (Jane Clark) as well as the ethnographic study of the Childrens Museum in Pittsburgh (Karen Knutson).

Presentations on education and learning, especially those dealing with very young children, and on “online” and web content were relevant and represented current issues of importance. The presentations on memorials including Myall Creek were moving. All merit discussion and follow up back at the museum.

Learning about programs is an essential part of conference attendance in my view. Simply reinforcing one’s own interests is something seldom requiring attendance at conferences. The presentations on the web and online content and delivery of museum content to schools merit considerable attention by many museum people, lest we “wither where we stand” as a paper at the Museums and the Web conference in Indianapolis earlier this year said – which I only learned about from being at this conference.

On the downside, there was not enough time for questions and discussion though such time is not always productively used. Morning and afternoon teas and lunches were excellent, something appreciated after two big conferences in California where whatever food was available was truly dreadful!

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Permalink Reply by Lynda Kelly on May 27, 2009 at 7:45am

I think you've hit the nail on the head Des - what do you do with the inofmrtaion once you get back to the day-to-day pressures of the office? Too many times have I seen people go to marvellous conferences and nopt a word said when they return. How's about having some kind of roundtable where everyone who has been to a conference lists two new ideas/things they will now implemnet - with one of these being no cost?

THis is also where social media (and sites such as this one) come into play to continue the conversation as we have been doing on this blog post: Musings from the MA Conference. Be great if you added your thoughts there Des as I noticed you at many of the sessions and your perspective is always appreciated!