Minutes of the 75th meeting of the Museum Council
November 20, 2008, 3:00 PM – 5:15 PM, Setberg, National Museum of Iceland
Present: Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, chairman, Halldór Björn Runólfsson, Helgi Torfason, Sveinn Kristinsson, AlmaDís Kristinsdóttir and Rakel Halldórsdóttir.
1. The minutes of the 74th meeting were approved and signed.
2. Director's report. Unresolved issues of the Museum Council at the Ministry of Education. Two submissions from the Museums Council are pending with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, namely a request for a legal opinion on the interpretation of the Museums Act No. 106/2001, dated 17 November 2005, and a request from the Museums Council for permission to meet with the chairman of the Budget Committee, dated 19 May 2008. The Ministry has also announced that the submission from the Museums Council dated 16 November 2004, regarding direct budget allocations from the Budget Committee to museums, will not be answered (but the Ministry of Education closed the case in 2005 without action). Museum Fund according to the 2008 budget proposal. The status of the museum fund was reviewed according to the existing budget proposal. It was agreed to send the members of the Althingi and the Ministry of Education a summary of information from an article by Anna Þorbjörg Þorgrímsdóttir in the journal of the Institute of Humanities, University of Iceland, Ritin (1/2008), which has been the subject of discussion among museum professionals in recent months. The article states, among other things, that state subsidies for museum work and cultural tourism increased by 500% in the period 2002-2008, while the increase to state preservation institutions (mainly state museums) and the museum fund was only 83%. Applications to the museum fund for 2009Applications have been received from over 50 institutions. Work on reviewing and evaluating applications has begun. Structure of a master's program in museum studies at the University of Iceland. A working group at the University of Iceland, led by the Director of the Department of Museum Studies, is continuing to work on preparing the program, including information in the curriculum and on the website. The University of Iceland has advertised for an assistant professor in museum studies, and the assistant professor will most likely be hired in January. Distribution card for the export and import of cultural property. Prospective partners are the Ministry of Education, the Icelandic UNESCO Committee and the Directorate of Customs. The project's cost estimate was reviewed. The cost estimate was approved. The design, printing and distribution of the flyers will be undertaken in the near future. Message from the National Museum of Iceland to RÚV regarding radio relics at Vatnsenda. The paper was presented to the Museum Council for information. Letter of introduction from Museumstjenesten. The paper was received by the Museum Council, but also forwarded by the Ministry of Education. This is a presentation of the activities of Museumstjenesten in Denmark. Ms. has presented the paper on the Museum List, the email list for collectors. From the Ministry of Education: Message from the Belgian Youth Cultural Center. Requested collaboration with cultural institutions, including museums. The Minister of Culture has presented the paper on the Museum List. Þingeyinga Cultural Center – registration permits in SARP terminated. Presented to the Museum Council for information, in light of its importance, according to the Museum Act and international conventions on museums, and also with regard to possible collaboration between the Þingeyinga Regional Museum and the National Museum of Iceland on remote registration, it was agreed to encourage the museum's representatives to reconsider their decision to terminate the registration permits. CECA conference in Iceland 2009The Museum Council received a letter thanking the project for funding and providing information about the conference. CECA is a division within ICOM, the International Council of Museums. Icelandic Aviation Museum. The Minister of Aviation visited the Icelandic Aviation Museum, at the museum's invitation, where the Gullfaxi, Iceland's first jet, was unveiled. The museum has undergone extensive renovations. European Museum of the Year 2001 (EMYA 2010). The Board of Directors will send a letter to the main museums, ICOM and FÍSOS, requesting proposals for nominations. An idea for a collaboration between the History Center and the Vestmannaeyjar Museum. The Minister of Culture had a meeting with the representatives of the History Center in 1627, but there are ideas about cooperation between Vestmannaeyjarbær and the History Center regarding the Vestmannaeyjar Regional Museum. It is planned that the History Center will take over the operation of the regional museum with operating support from Vestmannaeyjarbær. It is important that the security of the collection and professional museum work are ensured.
3. Museum issues in Akranes. The City of Akranes is planning to outsource a project to operate the Regional Museum at Görður. It is important that the security of the museum's assets and professional museum work are ensured. The Museum Council approved an information letter that will be sent to local governments that have in their care museums that receive grants from the Museum Fund. The Council is sending the letter as a supervisory body for museums that receive state grants, in accordance with the Museums Act No. 106/2001, but the letter points out the importance of handling all changes in the operational form of museums professionally, as well as ensuring that changes comply with the Administrative Procedure Act and the Museums Act.
Copyright issues of collections. The Minister of Education has learned that there is a committee in the Ministry of Education and Culture that deals with copyright issues. The committee operates according to Regulation No. 500 of 21 April 2008. The Minister of Education met with Erla S. Árnadóttir, Attorney at Law, and representatives of several museums. The need to get the matter on a successful track was clearly evident, especially with regard to art museums and the use of visual material from them for educational purposes. As it stands today, copyright prevents the normal use of visual material from museums for educational purposes and significantly limits the possibilities of teachers and museum educators to communicate Icelandic art and cultural history to students and the public. It is clear that considerable legal costs will be involved if the Museum Council continues the matter as proposed. It was agreed, in light of the rational use of state funds, that the Minister of Education and Culture examined the possibility of the Ministry's Committee on Copyright Issues taking up the issue, guided by the interests and quality of life of the public and the nation's general access to cultural heritage.
4. Museum visitor surveys. The Minister presented at the Museum List, for information, a planned project by the Cultural Heritage Agency in Copenhagen, a government agency that deals with museum matters in Denmark in a holistic manner, where a standardized visitor survey will be presented to visitors to Danish state museums and other museums that receive government funding in that country. It was agreed to launch a similar project in Icelandic museums and the Minister was entrusted with the supervision of the project.
5. Museum service and storage facilities. The Minister of Culture presented his proposal for a project that would examine the status, conditions and structure of museum service and storage facilities across the country and make a proposal for cooperation and policy in these matters in each region. It was agreed to start such a project and the Minister of Culture was entrusted with the supervision of the project.
6. Message from Jesse Byock. The Museum Council received a request from Jesse Byock requesting an extended permit for the storage of relics from the archaeological excavation at Hrísbrú, which was to be returned by September 1, 2008 according to the Museum Council's issued permit. An extension of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History's permit for the export of zoological relics was also requested. The Museum Council referred the request to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for processing. The Icelandic Institute of Natural History has granted an extended permit for export. Comments were requested from the curators of the National Museum of Iceland and the Icelandic Archaeological Conservation Service. The National Museum's comment was positive. No comments have been received from the Icelandic Archaeological Conservation Service. It was agreed to grant an extended permit for one year for the continued storage of the relics abroad, subject to a research permit from the Icelandic Archaeological Conservation Service.
7. Presentation by the Icelandic Herring MuseumThe Museum Council received a letter from the Icelandic Herring Museum regarding the museum's goals. The Museum Council approved a letter of response.
8. Presentation for the Museum Weekend in South IcelandThe Museum Council received a letter from R3 Consulting, requesting that the Council support Museum Weekend in South Iceland. It was agreed to refer the application process to the Museum Fund, but the Museum Council advertises annually for applications to the fund, the deadline for applications for 2009 has expired.
9. Statement from the Ministry of Education regarding the World Jewish Restitution Organization's statement. The Museum Council received a letter from the Ministry of Education and Culture referring to a letter from the World Jewish Restitution Organization. The organization's letter asks whether it is possible to find works of art or other cultural values in Icelandic cultural institutions that were looted by the Nazis or their allies in the years 1933-1945. The ministry requested that the Museum Council inform museums that receive support from the museum fund of the letter's contents and that they examine their collections. The Museum Council has sent out a letter to this effect and all museums have responded. A letter of response has been sent to the ministry, but none of the museums believe that such artifacts are to be found in their collections.
10. Next meeting and other mattersNo meeting is scheduled for December, the next meeting will be in early 2009, the Board of Directors will send out a proposal for a meeting time.
Other issues:
Icelandic Museum of Natural History. HT presented a draft strategy for the Icelandic Museum of Natural History for the years 2008-2013. The strategy is currently under discussion in the Ministry of Education. HT also presented an article about the Icelandic Museum of Natural History in Náttúrufræðingnum 2008/77, the journal of the Icelandic Society of Natural History, in which he points out the importance of working systematically to develop the museum.
There was no further discussion and the meeting adjourned at 17:15/RH