ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Museum Professional Development 

Adopted by the ICOM Executive Council, on the recommendation of ICTOP, June 2000

Comments about and suggestions for additions to these "ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Museum Professional Development" and "Selected Resources for Developing Museology Curricula" are sought from all ICOM individual members and national and international committees. Send your contributions to Nancy J. Fuller:

Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, Smithsonian Institution A & I #2275, Washington D.C. 20560-0427, USA, e-mail to nfuller@scems.si.edu, fax +1-202-357-3346.   

Bibliographic citations are welcome in all languages.

Thank you,

Nancy J. Fuller

Introduction

Recognizing ICOM's leadership responsibilities to the museum community for assistance with human resource development and institutional capacity building, Martin Segger, chair of ICTOP, established a working party in 1996 to review the "ICOM Common Basic Syllabus for Professional Museum Training". He appointed Nancy Fuller, chair of the initiative and  Emmanuel N. Arinze (Nigeria), Amar Galla (Australia), Lois Irvine (Canada), Ivo Maroevic (Croatia), Jan Rosvall (Sweden), Angelika Ruge (Germany), Theresa Scheiner (Brazil), and Stephen L. Williams (USA) committee members. Their charge was to analyze the relevance and utility of the syllabus relative to today's environment and to recommend revisions. Additionally, they were asked to identify resource materials and model practices. This document contains the recommendations of the working party.

In October 1998 at the Triennial General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Committee for the Training of Personnel (ICTOP) approved the draft of what was then called the ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Professional Development in Museums , and recommended the document's adoption by the ICOM   Executive Council.

These were endorsed and commended to the membership of ICOM and the wider museum profession and museum training programmes by the Executive Council of ICOM at its June 2000 meeting.

Background of document

The initial International Council Of Museums (ICOM) Basic Syllabus for Professional Museum Training was published in 1971 as a guide to the desirable contents of university programs and similar professional training courses in Museology or Museum Studies at the graduate course level. Revisions were incorporated in 1979, and further recommendations regarding professional development opportunities were appended to the document at the ICTOP Symposium in Bergen, Norway, 1981.

ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Museum Professional Development

In the last decade, museums throughout the world have experienced radical shifts in their nature and structure. The changes have significantly altered traditional museum practices, employment patterns and career paths.⁽¹⁾ Rather than focusing their efforts on the growth and care of collections, museums are being transformed into institutions that provide valuable services to the public.⁽²⁾ According to Kenneth Hudson

". . . the most fundamental change that has affected museums . . . is the now almost universal conviction that they exist in order to serve the public."⁽³⁾

During the past thirty years museum theory and practices evolved in response to a paradigm accepted by the field and the audience. Training was designed to complement that model. The International Council Of Museums (ICOM) Basic Syllabus for Professional Museum Training addressed the internal functioning of museums and focused on individual needs.

But now, the situation requires human resource development training be tailored to institutional needs.⁽⁴⁾ With the form of museums in flux, training must be re-conceptualized to enable staff to contribute to the creation of new models and, as well, benefit from the change process.

The skills, knowledge and attitudes needed by the museum labor force are different today and will continue to change in the coming years. Experts predict that in the near future successful institutions will be characterized by their flexibility, speed of delivery, quality of knowledge, and ability to create strategic alliances - all attributes dependent upon human relations skills.⁽⁵⁾ Training and professional development opportunities are the keys by which staff can acquire those skills and knowledge.

These new demands call for shifts in the overall design and delivery of professional training offerings. The task is urgent and complex. Needed is a rigorous examination of the roles and relationships between professional education and the field.

This document begins the process. The purpose of the ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Museum Professional Development is to provide a reference document from which sound, comprehensive, training syllabi - appropriate to the needs, objectives and resources of the museums and the idividuals for which they are intended to serve - can be developed. The Guidelines approach instructional design from the perspective of competencies required for a successful museum career rather than from the traditional occupational task method . skills are identified on the basis of knowledge and their application to work from a framework of current social, technological and economic realities. Provision is made for the priorities that exist within various positions, sizes and disciplines of museums, and different cultural contexts.⁽⁶⁾

The curricula recognizes that specific tasks, responsibilities and the ways work is organized are changing and, that that situation will continue to be true in the future. To keep pace, individuals and institutions will need access to holistic, multi-format, continuous-learning opportunities. Among the range of possible uses for these guidelines include formal degree-granting programs, short-term courses, professional development opportunities, career planning, staff orientation sessions, seminars, and internships.

The guidelines are envisioned as an on-going work in progress, evolving in concert with the field, and thus will be reviewed and updated at regular intervals.

The purpose of the ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Museum Professional Development is to provide a reference document from which sound, comprehensive training syllabi - - appropriate to the needs, objectives and resources of the museums and the individuals for which they are intended to serve - - can be developed. 

Audience for the Curricula Guidelines

The Guidelines are designed for those who create and deliver professional training in all the various formats and levels, are responsible for personnel development in museums an rrelated cultural organizations, supervise employees, provide career development guidance, and/or work in government agencies, foundations or not-for-profit organizations involved in museum funding and policy-decisions, and for individuals planning their careers.

Premises

1. The draft curricula is intended as a framework for planning, designing, delivering and evaluating museology programs and courses. It aims to respond to the continuous learning needs of the museum workforce. The specific allocation of content and the method of instruction for particular courses, programs or professional development activities will be framed by the goals / objectives, format, regional relevance, competency level, and scope of the proposed instructional opportunity and by the previous training and experiences of the student(s) for whom it is intended. Models illustrating strategies for addressing various training objectives are included in the "Models" section (to be done) of this document.

2. Because the cultural context and training needs of museums vary greatly in organizational structure and informational emphasis, this document does not prescribe specific course syllabi. Rather it is organized into five broad competencies areas. Topics within the areas are listed alphabetically not hierarchically or according to relationships between or among them. The basic competencies do not define a level of complexity, nor are they meant to be all inclusive. The degree of knowledge and skills required by various individuals will depend upon the scope of their responsibilities and the nature of the job they perform. Acquiring fully developed professional competency requires a dedication to life-long professional development. The document assumes professional staff are knowledgeable in the discipline(s) or focus of the museum.

3. Specialists should be consulted and retained when offering courses / programs at higher levels. In designing training activities, content should be guided by those themes/ ideas that explore links between the area of study / discipline and the work of museums (i.e., the design of an exhibition relative to a museum's mission).

4. The museological knowledge and skills listed in the curricula are expected to be acquired incrementally and through a combination of formal and informal instructional formats. Topics are not meant to be presented in a linear fashion nor to the same level of expertise for each position. Similarly, instructional content should be shaped according to the selected training format and the cultural and institutional contexts.

5. Museum work has a fundamental practical side which must be experienced in conjunction with theoretical constructs. A significant shortfall in training at the practical level exists. An internship at the beginning of career preparation does not serve one's lifetime needs.  In most cases, personal qualities and skills cannot be 'taught' in a classroom setting. Rather they are acquired through a process of structured experiences and practice. A focus on direct job-related competencies does not preclude a need for thoughtful reflection on complex professional issues. A combination of work experiences, academic instruction, supervised internships, fellowships, and research papers beginning with an individual's entry level training phase and extending throughout his or her career will produce many of the desired competencies. Additionally, establishing conditions that emphasize mentoring and collaboration will result in increased staff capabilities. See "Definitions" section (to be completed) of this document for descriptions of various formats.

6. Institutions undertaking training should commit sufficient staff and facilities to ensure quality offerings. Opportunities for gaining practical experience in nearby museums must be incorporated in all aspects of instruction. Staff should have considerable experience in the museum field and with teaching. Library and reference materials must be readily at hand. Offerings should be evaluated regularly, looking at whether the training is meeting the needs of the field and if the participants show evidence of success in their work.

7. Performance indicators evaluating the results of this document will be devised. They will be based on the prevailing systems of values, including acceptance, ethics, economic, and intellectual factors. (to be completed)

8. The Curriculum Guidelines are considered to be evolving in concert with the changing nature of the museum field. Therefore analysis of the field and its implications for training will be undertaken on a systematic basis. Revisions will be made as situations require.

The process

Research into the following questions informed the preparation of this document:

1. What are the current issues facing museology training and professional development today?

2. How is work in museums currently organized and how is it expected to change in the future?

3. What museum training curricula resources currently exist?

A partial listing of ICOM international committees that have developed curricula materials relative to their area of specialization includes:

• Conservation: http://www.natmus.dk/cons/icom_cc/
• CECA - Education and cultural action http://www.imj.org.il/ceca/
• CIMCIM - Musical Instruments http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/cimcim/
• CIDOC - Documentation http://www.cidoc.icom.org/
• ICFOM - Museology <http://www.umu.se/nordic.museology/icofom.html
• ICMS - Security Committee <http://www.icms.org.pl/
• MPR - Marketing, Public Relations, and Fundraising  http://www.anbg.gov.au/icom-mpr/

See also the ICOM web site http://www.icom.org  for access to other committee materials and also ICCROM - http://www.iccrom.org

4. What assumptions should underlie the development of a basic museum training syllabus for the next decade?

5. What skills and knowledge do museum workers need to be effective in the new  environment? What are the best ways of acquiring them?

6. What aspects of the current (1979) ICOM museology syllabus should be retained?

7. What aspects of the current (1979) museology syllabus should be revised? (To view a copy of the syllabus, see ICTOP web site http://www.icom.org/ictop/syllabus.html

Based on information gathered from the preceding questions, we suggest the following:

ICOM Curriculum Guidelines for Museum Professional Development

I. General competencies: All museum staff should be able to demonstrate skills in and knowledge of:

Communications

Inter-cultural communication
Written, oral and non-verbal
Terminology / vocabulary

Environmentalism and its impact

Conservation ethic
Environmental audits - complicance, energy, activities, issues
Environmental custodianship
Sustainable development practices

Evaluation methods

Analysis of data
Data collection
Project design
Purpose
Report methods

Financial management

Elementary numeracy
Basic analysis, monitoring, and reporting methods

Information Technology
E-mail
Web sites
Multimedia formats
Database management

Interpersonal relationships
Collaboration and networking
Disability awareness strategies for museums
Political considerations

Museums and society
Accountability
Ethnic, racial, cultural and intellectual diversity
Knowledge of local, national, regional, international issues, resources and conditions
Promotion of peace and understanding amongst people
Public trust

Nature of work
Administrative and management policies and practices
Affiliations with other organizations / consultancy / outsourcing
Multi-disciplinary environment
Quality maintenance of services and products

Professionalism

Contributions to field
Continued education
Ethics and values

• Personal
• Specific to an individual museum and culture
• Relative to discipline and occupation

Identity
Intellectual curiosity
Initiative, self motivation, self-evaluation, flexibility
Leadership
Organization of museum associations - local, regional, national, international
Self-management of career
Standard-setting
Recognition and integration of diversity into all processes
Recognition of excellence
Vision of and purpose for museums and personal role at individual institution

Project Management