YEAR IN REVIEW 1997: LIBRARIES-AND-MUSEUMS

MUSEUMS The year 1996 was marked by anniversaries, new beginnings, and the continuation of powerful trends in museums throughout the world. In November the International Council of Museums (ICOM) celebrated its 50th anniversary. Founded by Chauncey Hamlin of the U.S. soon after the end of World War II, ICOM was conceived in the shadow of the United Nations as an organization that would unite museums across the globe to promote cultural understanding and world peace. By 1996 it had some 13,000 members in 145 countries. The anniversary celebrations took place at the Louvre in Paris, the location of ICOM's founding. In May museums throughout the Arab world convened in Egypt for the first meeting of ICOM's Regional Organization for Arab Countries. The group planned to develop a handbook in order to standardize the compilation of inventories (an important tool in fighting theft and illicit trafficking of cultural objects) and also to set up a system for exchanging information within the region. The first world meeting of representatives from science centres and science museums took place in June in Vantaa, Fin. Jointly organized by the Association of Science-Technology Centers in the U.S. and the European Collaborative for Science, Industry and Technology Exhibitions, the theme for this gathering was "Learning for Tomorrow" and focused on the important role these institutions played in science education and new technologies. Blockbuster exhibitions were mounted throughout the world in 1996. Most notably, an exhibition of paintings by Jan Vermeer drew record crowds at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (See ART, ANTIQUES, AND COLLECTIONS: Art Exhibitions.) Several museums opened during the year. Among them was the Jean Tinguely Museum in Basel, Switz., in a building designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. The museum contained 30% of Tinguely's surviving work. Japan began work on the nation's first museum commemorating World War II amid protests by many Japanese, who claimed that the museum, whose mission was to focus on the suffering of Japanese families and soldiers, offered a one-sided view of history. During the summer, on the anniversary of the inaugural flight of the first zeppelin in 1900, the Zeppelin Museum was opened in Friedrichshafen, Ger., the town where Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin began his enterprise. A new museum opened in Shanghai in October and quickly gained acclaim for its outstanding collection of ancient Chinese art. Museums in many parts of the world continued to suffer from damage caused by armed conflict as well as by natural disasters. In Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, collections were being stored in the basements of museum buildings battered by four years of war. Museums in Grozny, Chechnya, were also badly damaged by the conflict of that republic with Russia. New efforts were made during the year to combat the effects of these disasters. To provide a quick response in cases of emergency, the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) was created through the cooperation of ICOM, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the International Council on Archives, and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. The ICBS aimed to provide advice in cases of natural disaster or armed conflict, to facilitate international response, to encourage respect for cultural property, and to promote higher standards of risk preparedness. Museums continued to grapple with new technologies during the year; an increasing number were developing sites on the Internet and using multimedia within their exhibits. Issues of copyright were being hotly debated as museums and artists fought to retain their rights to images while also realizing the benefit of making those images accessible through digitalization. (HELEN J. WECHSLER) U.S. museums faced dizzying changes during 1996. Dealing with the challenges of new technology, a downsizing federal government, and increasing competition, they were forced to present themselves as innovative, self-sufficient, and, above all, relevant to issues ranging from economic development to educational reform. Perhaps the most exciting developments involved the new technologies as hundreds of institutions loaded the Internet with information on collections and programs. The most sophisticated experimented with revolutionary programming such as the on-line exhibition. Combining visual presentation of artifacts, essays, bibliographies, and outreach materials for teachers and schools, these shows gathered all of the elements of the traditional exhibition into a single "virtual" venue. Some institutions also began to digitize collections with the help of a new federal program that funded community-wide information infrastructure projects. Museums strengthened their role in formal education during the year. Taking advantage of new legislation at the state level, two children's museums, one history-technology museum, and one natural history museum established semi-independent "charter" schools, joining the many museums that had cooperative programs with local public schools. All used museum collections for multidisciplinary instruction, modeling new ways to teach and learn, while the best also served as resources for other educators in their regions. (ANDREW FINCH) See also Art, Antiques, and Collections. This article updates museum.