Friday, November 03, 2006

MUSEUMS MUST REPOSITION THEMSELVES TO KEEP UP WITH CHANGING TIMES

Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) Museums should reposition themselves to keep up with the changing times and play new roles in society, participants in an international conference on museum management agreed Thursday.

"Unless museums can keep pace with socio-political change, they will never fulfill their potential, " said David Fleming, president of the International Committee of Management (INTERCOM) of the International Council of Museums, on the first of the three-day INTERCOM annual meeting.

"Museums in Taiwan have taken the first step in repositioning and branding themselves, " said Chiu Kun-liang, chairman of the Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) , in his opening remarks at the conference that gathered over 250 museum managers from 16 countries.

Museums are no longer places to display tangible and intangible cultural assets only, but should be seen as social enterprises whose social value is pre-eminent, according to Fleming.

The National Palace Museum (NPM) , Taiwan's most prestigious museum, has been trying to do just that, said NPM Director Lin Mun-lee.

"Conventional museums no longer satisfy people's needs and museums in Taiwan, including the NPM, have been trying to re-think their roles and futures, " she said.

"A modern museum should be able to create an intimacy to the public with innovative values and a 'serve the people' attitude like the service sector, " she added.

The conference, with the principal theme of the new roles and missions of museums, will conclude Saturday after discussions on various issues such as the new social relevance of museums, different types and roles of museums, and the local, regional and national identities of museums.