There and back again * : Is there a need for GLAM** education? Katherine Howard PhD Candidate Queensland University of Technology (QUT) *With due acknowledgement to J.R.R. Tolkien **Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums There and back again * : Is there a need for GLAM** education? Katherine Howard PhD 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) 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 informatio n professionals in the cultural heritage envir onment?  What are the current and potential roles and resp onsibilities 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 f uture? 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

References Given, 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: / 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 Retrieved 10 January 2012 from E_URGE_TO_MERGE_A_THEORETICAL_APPRO ACH_TO_INTEGRATION_OF_THE_INFORMATIO N_PROFESSIONS E_URGE_TO_MERGE_A_THEORETICAL_APPRO ACH_TO_INTEGRATION_OF_THE_INFORMATIO N_PROFESSIONS Waibel, G. and Erway, R. (2009). Think globally, act locally: library, archive and museum collaboration. Museum Management and Curatorship, 24(4), pp doi: /