Written by staff blogger Leah F.
May 18 remains significant as International Museum Day in Canada and countries worldwide; it is a time to recognize museums for their work, resources, and learning opportunities. Much like libraries, museums are protectors, preservers, and keepers of knowledge. Additionally, museums remain committed to advocating intellectual freedom and providing various pathways to learning. These are amongst some of the things one will find in common between those who work in museums and those who work in libraries.
Where Libraries and Museums Align
Whether in a library or a museum, staff members provide a memorable experience for everyone. I say this as a pat on the back to museum employees, because on International Museum Day, as buildings, collections, and active learning are recognized, it’s important to acknowledge the humans who allow all those components to continue to function and complement one another. Museums play a role in community engagement and lifelong learning; some will offer free admission or admission via donation, such as the Shearwater Aviation Museum. When visiting a place such as this, you can always consider donating to the museum or purchasing a product from them to contribute to the continued success of the work they do.
Museums (and libraries!) have a historical reputation for being aesthetically pleasing; they often display a sense of architectural elegance or stately appeal that is not just specific to historical properties. Eyes affixed on a museum, one might observe painted ceiling tiles (Fortey 5), mahogany wood (Fortey 8), arches (Fortey 4), and other grand elements of design as noted by Fortey, in Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum. Many museums have been built with a unique, contemporary vision that may provide as much of a wow factor as neoclassical architecture. Modern design in constructing museums can be observed in museums that are dated 30+ years old, but it can also be observed in museums newly built today, such as The Broad. Museums can vary in style and represent Baroque, Victorian, Palladian, and Gothic design, just to name a few. This architectural diversity among museums extends to homes that have been turned into museums, such as The Frida Kahlo Museum. If the design, construction, and building process of museums interests you, have a flip through: How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden. This book beautifully illustrates the inception of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Smithsonian Institution’s mission is to bring about the increase and diffusion of knowledge, as per their website. This drive to increase and diffuse knowledge is a mission carried out in Nova Scotia, as well.
Digging Deeper in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia has a long history of providing spaces for the curious while exercising professionalism in the keeping and sharing of artifacts. Museums are a solid foundation for the justification of many questions individuals have about life; experts crack open this world of wonder and dig deep until they have found something they believe worthy to be shared. Thus begins an exciting embarkation on retrieving data on the thing to be shared, whether through an archaeological or historiographical process, it is gathered to share with the world. The role of curation is much deeper than selection and displaying, and often involves an incredible amount of research, and in many cases, ongoing research. This process and the existence of museums honour non-living objects, living species, and the deceased with the utmost respect.
In Nova Scotia, many museums play a role in the care and keeping of historical, scientific, artistic, and cultural artifacts. If you want to channel your inner palaeontologist, visit the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. It is here you will find some of the oldest dinosaur bones in Canada; the Fundy Cliffs and the Bay of Fundy have been primary spots for the research and discovery of fossils in Canada.
Making Museums Magical
As quoted in Dry Storeroom No. 1:
“A Museum is a place where the visitor can come to examine, as well as to be diverted.” (Fortey 7)
With a strong commitment to palaeontology, archaeology, palaeography, and much more, museum employment is competitive and often distinctive in its required skills, competencies, and abilities. This may be how museums end up staffed with individuals eager and dedicated to a specified focus area, such as taphonomy or ichnology. The assiduous individuals who employ these buildings, their exhibited work & research, make museums magical. Museums have a way of bringing the dead to life while also taking the living to the dead. It can be surreal, how they reawaken extinct species and stories of the past. Every moment and detail that goes into displaying the deceased has been done with a strong breath of life.
Adapting with the Times
Many people associate museums with natural history and fix their thoughts about museums only to that of living creatures, ecological factors, plants, animals, and habitats. While museums emphasize being inclusive of natural history, they also play a large role in the art and science fields. Museums are born out of a masterful synergy of details; they uphold great sovereignty for each detail fused into one thing, to make a museum and its operations. These operations often remain flexible to meet the demands of visitors and technological advances. Museums must adapt to technological and societal pressures of the time while maintaining the authenticity of their collection(s), which includes adjusting to artificial intelligence, a lesser-understood technological advancement than previous types of technology. Museums are learning how AI can help exhibits and museums but remain cautious about how the use of AI may negatively impact their work. (Frost and Vargas 2) The intersection of AI and the work of museums is a naturally occurring one, bound to happen with digital maturity.
Ensuring staff are fully prepared, trained, and competent to work with AI within the museum will determine the success of artificial intelligence's emergence into museum roles. (Frost and Vargas 4) The public can play a part in allowing museums to thrive by simply visiting them; visitors are supporting the building, facilities, administration, researchers, curators, and other staff who collectively make up the magic of a museum. As artificial technology is further revealed to us, museum jobs in many cases are both assisted and at risk. Those in creative-specific roles within museums may feel more under attack because AI has generated strong opinions and concern in the creative arts/making world. There is hope that organizations will be challenged to reskill employees upon the dominance of AI, rather than dissolve their roles.
With digital maturity also comes moral assessment; individuals often have to assess whether the use of such technology is applicable and appropriate to use in the workplace. This can also be applied to the daily work of curators; museum staff often must carry out moral obligations when collecting, preserving, sharing, and displaying data, artifacts, and other exhibit items. Those who bring museums to life with material objects often assess how fine the line is between cultural education and immoral practices, for example. Museums display the vast differences between human cultures and identities, but they also play a role in highlighting the numerous similarities seen in humankind. (Rajan 2) Archaeological evidence alone can provide an example of how homo sapiens are similar but also very different. The study of animal and human remains provides clarity and education, but they also intersect with moral obligations.
The Complexities of Looking Back
Museums may contain exhibits and tours that are triggering for some people; some information may resurface previous trauma from tragic experiences and events. Museums continue to be a leader in preserving facts and providing education; with that said, such exhibits and tours within museums are vital in ensuring all persons are educated on historic traumatic events. Examples of such triggering museums/museum content could be: The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, International Slavery Museum, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum & Hall, and The Montreal Holocaust Museum. This could also apply to the local museum, The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. Exploring culturally specific unjust events and other tragedies can be emotionally draining for individuals, whether they have ties to the events or not.
It is important to exercise self-care when absorbing such things; additionally, respect is vital when observing individual responses to exhibits. That said, there is no place for mockery or laughter when learning the tragedies of victims bygone. Every element of such exhibits has been placed with sharp calculation and reason behind every single detail. These exhibits are intended to be experiences, allowing individuals to walk in another’s shoes, pricked with deep emotion. Emotional depth strung around provoking thoughts is a recipe carried out in achieving exhibits that bring about education and awareness.
The celebrated individuals who carry out such tasks are very research-driven; research is what makes the world go around in a museum. (Rajan 3) For those dedicated to their field of expertise and passionate about research, gathering facts is a constant, enjoyable process. This is likely the case for the folks at The Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto, Ontario. Their passion for textile and fibre arts history deepens with each piece of research acquired for exhibits, such as their digital piece on Indian cotton, which helped shape global textile trading. The textile museum is an example of a museum that has faced financial barriers since the start of the pandemic to date. The upkeep of the historic properties many museums are in is costly. Additionally, donations to museums have decreased as the cost of living has increased, co-occurring with pandemic impacts. Sadly, The Stewart Museum in Montreal shut its doors as a response to these economic stressors. This is why public support is vital to the life of museums; their presence is paramount in the success of thriving urban centres, rural communities, etc. Museums truly nurture all of existence, both within and outside of their walls; the Halifax Regional Municipality is home to countless, exciting museums to consider visiting this Summer, such as The Dartmouth Heritage Museum and The Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum.
On May 18th and beyond, remember to acknowledge museums, all within them, and those who make museum experiences happen! Consider getting lost in the world museums have to offer!
Works Cited
Fortey, Richard A. Dry storeroom no. 1 : the secret life of the Natural History Museum. Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.
Frost, Sophie, and Lauren Vargas. “Cultural work, wellbeing, and AI.” European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy, vol. 14, no. 14, 2024, pp. 1-6.
Rajan, Neha. “The Role of Museums in Preserving and Displaying Cultural Heritage through Art.” Shodh Sagar Journal of Language, Art, Culture and Film, vol. 1, no. 1, 2024, pp. 1-6.
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