There and back again*:Is there a need for GLAM**

education?

Katherine HowardPhD Candidate

Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

*With due acknowledgement to J.R.R. Tolkien **Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums

Supervisors:

Prof. Helen Partridge

Dr. Hilary Hughes (QUT)

Dr. Gillian Oliver (Victoria University Wellington, NZ)

Outline of Presentation

Introduction

Discussion

Conclusion

Introduction- The future of the Information Professions: increased diversification or convergence?

- Technology ‘merely’ an enabler: galleries, libraries, archives and museums linked philosophically and intellectually

Library of Alexandria

Discussion

Library of Celsus, Ephasus

- Historical development of galleries, libraries, archives and museums-Development of separate institutions and technology as a catalyst for convergence- Professional education- Filling the gap

Historical development of galleries, libraries, archives

and museums- Library of Alexandria

- Cabinets of Curiosity

- From integration to separation

- New formats: where do they belong?

Professional education for GLAM

- no single qualification recognised by the major accrediting professional associations

“As long as librarians, archivists, and museologists [...] continue to be educated in isolation from one another, [...] real boundaries to collection, management, and access of material will remain” (Given  and  McTavish, 2010, p.  23)

- Cultural Heritage Information Management (CHIM) programme at the Catholic University of America

Research problem

- to maximise the potential of the digital environment, information professionals will need to work across blurred institutional boundaries

- existing educational structures continue to compartmentalise students

- lack of theoretical development (Myburgh, 2011)

What  are  the  education  needs  of  information  professionals  in

 the  cultural   heritage  environment?

What  are  the  current  and  potential  roles  and  responsibilities  of  information   professionals  employed  by  cultural  heritage  institutions?

What  are  the  knowledge,  skills,  and  attitudes  they  need  to  succeed  at  their   jobs  now  and  into  the  future?

Research questions

Conclusion- Convergence of Information Professions is not new- Very little empirical research- Deliver education that reflects the changing needs of the sector The Oracle at

Delphi

Questions?

Thank you for your attention

ReferencesGiven, L. and McTavish, L. (2010) What’s  old  is  new  again:  The  reconvergence  of  libraries, archives and museums. The Library  Quarterly,  80(1),  pp.  7‐32.  doi:   10.1086/648461

Myburgh, S. (2011) The urge to merge: a theoretical approach to the integration of the information professions. Paper presented at the International Integrated Information conference in Kos, Greece, 29th September - 3rd Oct 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2012 from http://unisa.academia.edu/SusanMyburgh/Papers/1081862/THE_URGE_TO_MERGE_A_THEORETICAL_APPROACH_TO_INTEGRATION_OF_THE_INFORMATION_PROFESSIONS

Waibel, G. and Erway, R. (2009). Think globally, act locally: library, archive and museum collaboration. Museum Management and Curatorship, 24(4), pp. 323-335. doi: 10.1080/09647770903314704