The Museum Board is pleased to announce that Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Education and Culture, has approved the council's proposal. to Policy on museum work which was prepared in collaboration with the Museum Council and the three main museums, the National Gallery of Iceland, the Natural History Museum of Iceland and the National Museum of Iceland. According to the Museums Act No. 141/2011, one of the Museum Council's roles is to work on a strategy for museum work in collaboration with the main museums, which is sent to the minister for approval.
Everyone involved in the strategy is to be thanked for their contribution, which was prepared in close collaboration with museum directors and other staff from recognized museums and state museums, as well as other stakeholders. The strategy was prepared under the direction of Sjá ehf.
Guiding light Policy on museum work are:
- It is the collective responsibility of society to protect the country's cultural and natural heritage, promote professional interaction, and ensure equal access to the heritage.
- Museums actively participate in social debate, they take the lead and create dialogue on socially important issues. Strong connections between museums, museum resources and society provide driving force and value creation.
- Museums play an important role in education, understanding and awareness of cultural and natural heritage. Museum human resources play a key role in this.
- Museums collaborate closely with each other and with a variety of parties, both domestically and internationally.
- Museums preserve primary sources about the country's culture, history, and nature and provide access to them for the advancement of research, for the acquisition of knowledge, and for enjoyment.
- Museums are socially responsible, they consider sustainability in all areas of museum work, and are a platform for innovation.
- Museums operate according to the Code of Ethics of ICOM, the International Council of Museums.
The strategy was developed through detailed data collection and analysis, and the strategy was based on internal work and data, legislation, and comparable policies at other domestic and foreign cultural institutions. Policy on museum work will be useful to the museum sector, ministries, state and local administration, museum councils, central museums and all museums, both recognized and other museum activities, but last but not least, museum owners.
The Museum Council would like to thank all the many people who participated in discussions, review meetings and surveys about the strategy, and we look forward to continuing to have a good conversation about the next steps, including an action plan and how the strategy can benefit museums in the country and their support institutions.
In the steering committee about Policy on museum work sat:
- Harpa Þórsdóttir, curator of the National Museum of Iceland
- Helga Lára Þorsteinsdóttir, senior member of the Museum Council, on behalf of the Museum Council
- Hilmar Malmquist, Director of the Natural History Museum of Iceland
- Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, National Monuments Curator
- Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Director of the Museums Council, on behalf of the Museums Council
Policy on museum work is the second of two cultural heritage policies that were approved last week, along with the policy "Cultural Heritage - a policy for preservation and accessibility", which was prepared under the leadership of the Icelandic National Heritage Institute and in accordance with the provisions of the Cultural Heritage Act. Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Director of the Museums Council, sat on the steering committee of that policy on behalf of the council.
https://www.minjastofnun.is/um-stofnunina/frettir/menningararfurinn-stefna-um-vardveislu-og-adgengi
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