ID :
301722
Fri, 10/04/2013 - 10:45
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/301722
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Museums At The Crossroads
By Kurniawati Kamarudin
The National Museum Department has taken much effort in maintaining the
relevance of museums, but has yet to see the desired results. This two-part
series discusses the survival of museums and present day challenges.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -– The museums, which exhibit historical
artefacts and records, may well become history themselves if nothing is done to
revive their relevance to the community.
Before the advent of cyber portals like Google, people gathered information
from tedious visits to museums, libraries and archives.
Today’s generation is one used to instant gratification, retrieving a wealth
of information on any subject with only a few clicks of the mouse, right in the
comfort of their own homes.
It is no wonder that the museums have lost their appeal, and their
limited access to information, static exhibition platforms and traditional
presentations keep away the younger generation.
There seems to be very little motivation to leave home to visit museums.
NO LONGER POPULAR
Records show that in 2010, 2.6 million people visited the 21 museums
in Malaysia compared with 2.5 million in 2009.
The obvious threat to the relevance of museums is the information
communication technology. Digital technology has made access to historical
information easy.
Therefore, the National Museum Department recently organised the National
Museum’s golden anniversary seminar, which among others discussed the dwindling
number of visitors to museums in recent years and ways to give local museums a
new lease of life.
A GLOBAL ISSUE
As for the fate of the museums all over the world, the writing is on the
wall. Even developed nations like the U.S, Britain, South Korea and Singapore
are grappling with the decline in interest on museums.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s History Programme Senior Lecturer Abdul
Ghapa Harun agreed that the traditional museums have fallen out of sync with
today’s generation.
“Today, information on any topic can be accessed quickly and through many
sources.
“This is simply not achieved with a visit to a traditional museum. Static
exhibitions do not meet the needs of a generation that craves for more
information. They also want the information to be presented to them in an
appetising manner, using advanced technology,” he told Bernama in an interview.
He said, today, historical curiosity could be satiated simply by online
visits to virtual museums, which also exhibit artefacts and provide explanations
in a very detailed manner.
These virtual museums are highly appealing to the current generation due to
their interactive nature. They are fast developing overseas due to their
popularity.
MORE THAN JUST FACELIFTS
Abdul Ghapa said other countries were quick to recognise and address the
problem by giving more than just facelifts to their museums.
The contemporary arts museum in Chicago is a good example.
The museum, often visited by contemporary arts enthusiasts the world over
is more than a storehouse for contemporary works of art.
It is also a platform of interaction on arts, culture and history.
“This is a museum that consciously creates an intellectually-stimulating
environment,” he said.
BE OPEN TO CHANGES
Museums today have to be receptive to new ideas and approaches that are more
interactive, less static and promote two-way communications. This would make
museum visits a more exciting experience.
Changing its approach and manner of presentation does not mean compromising
on its traditional role. Museums just needs to be more selective on the
artifacts for exhibition and employ more creativity in presenting them. The
quality of service provided must also be improved.
Abdul Ghapa called for museums to be more responsive and creative in
achieving the balance between their traditional role as a lifelong education
centre and as a recreational venue.
They must also stop blaming the decline in visitors to society’s lack of
interest in history.
Relatively speaking, our local museums have been lagging far behind museums
in developed nations that documents all aspects of human life in specialised
museums.
This has a lot to do with Malaysian attitudes and habits, which give little
appreciation towards the arts, culture and history.
This attitude may be due to an education system that is too exam-oriented,
while many countries overseas focus on the process of learning, making them more
appreciative of the arts, literature and culture.
COLLABORATIONS MAY SAVE MUSEUMS
Abdul Ghapa said inter-agency collaborations might give museum programmes
the required boost. It is the new wave taking over museums globally.
“Museums do better with the collaborations as it reduces costs and help a
lot in terms of publicity and marketing. It also helps the museums attract more
visitors."
-- BERNAMA