1. Standing up for documentation? The future of ICOM/CIDOC nickcrofts vice chair ICOM/CIDOC European EMu Users Meeting Beamish 2010

2. What is CIDOC? Comité International pour la Documentation 1 of ICOM's 30 International Committees 450 members from 60 countries 1 annual conference 8 working groups 1 annual newsletter (French and English) Mailing list, website, etc. Publications… Guidelines, standards

3. CIDOC's role "CIDOC provides a forum for discussing and providing advice on the application of documentation standards, and information and communication technologies, for the gathering, management and sharing of the knowledge carried in heritage collections." A neutral, international forum for discussion of all issues relating to documentation in museums

4. http://cidoc.mediahost.org

5. 2010 CIDOC board elections… Current CIDOC Board members: –Chair: Christian-Emil Ore, Norway –Vice-chair: Nicholas Crofts, Switzerland –Secretary: Monika Hagedorn-Saupe, Germany –Treasurer: Richard Light, UK –Editor: Maja Sojat-Bikic, Croatia –Member: Axel Ermert, Germany –Member: Faith Teh Eng Eng, Singapore –Member: Hans Rengman, Sweden Time for a “S.W.O.T.” analysis…

6. Strengths International Authoritative Neutral Large number of members Broad demographic spread (nationality, age, interests) Financially stable No membership fee Enormous mass of collective experience

7. Weaknesses Limited resources - low budget, voluntary High costs - travel, translation, publication ICOM bureaucracy… Lack of transparency Complex issues, slow reactions…

8. Threats Low visibility Lack of continuity Inconsistent quality Lack of focus Diffidence A "closed-circuit" club ?

9. "Old" challenges… How do I document my collection? How do I document using a computer? How do I integrate digital images? How do I publish on the Web? How can I link data between collections? All still current

10. Opportunities UGC/social networking Helping prevent illicit trafficking Documenting intangible heritage Statistics and performance criteria Professional status etc., etc. Not a "closed list"

11. Conclusions Ensure transparency Keep down costs Open up to a broader vision Stimulate contribution Maintain focus and quality New website ?.. Make CIDOC a must