COM
SEEKS NEW INTERNET DOMAIN FOR MUSEUMS
Application
for .museum submitted to ICANN for
public comment through 27 October 2000
|
For
Immediate Release
- October 3, 2000
PARIS
- Responding to an open call for proposals, the International
Council of Museums (ICOM), as a founder member of the
Museum Domain Management Association (MDMA),
has submitted an application to the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to create .museum,
a restricted top-level domain name (TLD) on the Internet.
The initiative would benefit the global museum community
and its publics by clearly defining a place for nonprofit
museums and the resources they offer in cyberspace. This
is the first time that the museum community, through its
professional organization ICOM, has collectively stepped
forward to assert a unique presence and identity on the
World Wide Web since the emergence of this important mass
medium.
ICANN,
the Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that oversees
the Internet domain name system, issued its call for proposals
with a closing deadline of October 2. During a comprehensive
review phase through October 27, ICANN will solicit public
comment on the applications it has received. ICANN is
expected to announce successful applicants by the end
of the year. All applications will be published on ICANN's
web site, www.icann.org
This
is the first time since the late 1980s that the possibility
for new international Internet top-level domain names
is being made available. The .museum domain will
be restricted, with eligibility limited to museums and
their professional organizations based on ICOM's definition
of museum, which continues to be discussed and modified
as the museum field evolves. ICOM is a non-governmental
organization established in 1946 with over 16,000 members.
It defines a museum as "a non-profit making, permanent
institution in the service of society and of its development,
and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches,
communicates, and exhibits, for purposes of study, education,
and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment."
"The
museum community shares a common purpose--providing access
to the histories of evidence of people and their environments,"
explains Jacques Perot, President of ICOM. "As we expand
our reach into cyberspace, our missions and the reasons
people depend upon us do not change. It is perhaps even
more important in cyberspace than it is in physical space
for museums to have an authentic identity, ensuring that
our vast collections and information holdings are accessible
and verifiable."
If
approved by ICANN, .museum will be administered
by a newly formed non-profit trade association, the Museum
Domain Management Association (MDMA). MDMA's two founder
members are ICOM and the J. Paul Getty Trust, and serving
on its board of directors are ICOM President Jacques Perot,
ICOM Vice President Bernice Murphy, Getty Museum Director
and Trust Vice President Deborah Gribbon, and Getty Museum
Assistant Director Kenneth Hamma.
The
J. Paul Getty Trust--in addition to operating the Getty
Museum, Research Institute, Conservation Institute--plays
a philanthropic role for museums around the world and
serves the professional field in many ways, including
through the Getty Leadership Institute. The Getty Trust
worked closely with ICOM to prepare the formal application
for .museum and assisted ICOM in the establishment
of MDMA.
"As
an extension of our mission of service to the museum field,
the Getty is proud to be playing a catalytic role in the
creation of .museum," says the Getty's Gribbon.
"The Internet can be a critical point of access and a
valuable tool for the public. But it can also be a place
where meaning and authenticity get lost. The creation
of .museum will give our public and professional
audiences greater confidence in the Internet as a point
of access to museum collections and information."
Many
museums already have a presence on the Internet, while
others, due partly to financial and technical limitations,
are moving into cyberspace more slowly. Developing a clear
cyberspace identity for the museum community as a whole
is expected to help bridge this digital divide. Proponents
believe that .museum, along with value-added services
that can be provided to its members, will give museums
that have not yet participated actively in the development
of the Internet the support to do so.
ICOM
is an international and non-profit organization dedicated
to the development and advancement of museums and the
museum profession. Founded in 1946, ICOM counts 16,000
members in 147 countries providing a world-wide communications
network for museum professionals of all disciplines and
specialities. It is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)
in formal association with UNESCO, and has been granted
advisory status by the United Nations Economic and Social
Council. Its Paris-based Secretariat and Museum Information
Centre ensure the day-to-day running of the organization
and the co-ordination of its activities and programmes.
For
more information about ICOM, see http://www.icom.org/
The
Getty is an international cultural and philanthropic organization
serving both general audiences and specialized professionals.
The Getty achieves its mission through the innovative
and complementary activities of the J. Paul Getty Museum,
the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute,
and the Getty Grant Program. A tax-benefited institution,
educational in purpose and character, the Getty focuses
on the visual arts in all of their dimensions and their
capacity to strengthen and to inspire aesthetic and humanistic
values. The Getty makes a difference by weaving together
the presentation, enjoyment, study, and conservation of
the visual arts in order to increase the public's knowledge
and sensitivity, expand its awareness and creativity,
sharpen its understanding and caring--all with the conviction
that cultural enlightenment and community involvement
in the arts can help lead to a more civil society.
For
more information about the Getty, see http://www.getty.edu
Contacts
:
Valérie
Jullien
Communications Officer
International Council of Museums (ICOM)
(33) 1.47 34 05 00 |
Sylvia
Sukop
Sr. Communications Specialist
J. Paul Getty Trust
(1) 310. 440.6966
|
Governing
Bodies
