Museums have no borders,
they have a network
October 15, 2024
José Luiz Pederzoli Jr. ; Vanessa Winghei Yeung
Unit Manager of Strategic Planning, ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) ; Consultant, ICCROM
Keywords: collections-based organisations, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainable museum practices
The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) recognises and promotes the potential of cultural heritage as a powerful resource to advance sustainable development. Primarily targeting collections-based organisations such as museums, libraries, archives, and galleries, ICCROM’s Our Collections Matter (OCM) initiative was launched in 2020 to support these organizations in turning their sustainability aspirations and commitments into action.
The programme’s backbone is the 3Ts approach: Tools, Training, and Transformation. With the open-access tools and training provided through OCM, collections-based organisations from around the world can boost their ‘SDG-literacy’, have easy access to knowledge and resources to concretely enhance their contribution to sustainable development through collections-based work, and lead positive transformation in the heritage sector and in the communities they serve.
Our Collections Matter Toolkit
One of OCM’s core resources is the OCM Toolkit, an online, annotated directory containing over 600 open-access tools from the heritage sector and beyond. Users can find practical tools to support their sustainable development aspirations related to collections-based work by searching through the “5Ps” (People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership), the 17 SDGs, the SDG targets, or a selection of sustainable development-oriented actions.
OCM Field Projects
Launched in 2021, this annual series of online workshops supports collections-based organizations in designing and implementing projects to address specific sustainable development aspirations or challenges concerning their collections-based work. A diverse group of up to 30 collections-based organizations is selected to participate every year, following the call for applications published on the ICCROM website. Participation is free of charge. Throughout the eight-month duration of the programme, participants attend bi-monthly workshops and make use of the OCM Toolkit to identify meaningful resources to support the implementation of their field projects. They also have a unique opportunity to network and use the OCM project planning forms to identify their sustainability aspirations and challenges, plan their projects, and finally evaluate and share the outcomes. It is expected that participants will be able to keep up with the method and bring further positive changes to their organisations after the activity is concluded, becoming “OCM Ambassadors” to continue to drive transformation toward sustainable development.
New and forthcoming OCM Resources: Self-Assessment Tool and Self-Paced Online Course
The OCM Self-Assessment Tool, our latest resource co-developed with several partners in the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, and regional partners based in Thailand and the Americas, aims to assist collections-based organisations in evaluating their current contributions to the SDGs and identifying new areas for improvement and enhance their existing sustainability efforts. By using this tool, collections-based organizations can establish a baseline and create a meaningful action plan to develop or improve activities to achieve the SDGs more effectively, as well as communicate your work and progress in terms of the SDGs.
The OCM Self-Paced Online Course is ready and will soon be launched on ICCROM’s forthcoming e-learning platform. At their own pace, participants will be able to delve into the UN 2030 Agenda, the SDGs, and how collections-based organisations can make concrete contributions to achieve them, and hence to our common sustainable future.
If you and your collections-based organisation are ready to embark on this transformative journey with ICCROM Our Collections Matter, get in touch with us at collectionsmatter@iccrom.org, follow the following steps, and create your very first impact in your organisation(s).
The authors would like to thank the generous help of ICCROM colleagues Isabelle Verger, Strategic Planning Assistant, and María Mata Caravaca, Manager of Records and Archives, for their review and suggestions to the French and Spanish versions of the article.
