NEMO POLICY STATEMENT

NEMO POLICY STATEMENT

WHO WE ARE The Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) was founded in 1992 as an independent network of national museum organisations representing the museum community of the member states of the Council of Europe. Together, NEMO s members speak for over 30.000 museums across Europe. OUR Museums need to be seen as institutions serving their communities in a meaningful way. They safeguard tangible and intangible evidence of the manmade and natural world for current and future generations. Their collections tell a rich variety of stories, interpreting past and present history. Museums encourage dialogue, they stimulate us to think, learn and reflect; to celebrate differences and discover affinities. Museums contribute to developing cultural factors: they create memory and identity, and they foster creativity, diversity and knowledge. All these factors are crucial to the building of today s society. OUR It is vital that cultural heritage has a strong voice in Europe. NEMO s mission is to ensure museums are an integral part of European society by promoting their work and value to policymakers and by providing museums with information and opportunities for networking and cooperation. OUR ACTIONS We advocate NEMO champions the cause of museums at European level and through its members at national level and influences policies that are relevant to museums. We share NEMO informs its members and the museum sector at large of current and prospective European policies on culture and museums, and of the funding opportunities offered by various EU programmes, thereby helping museums to function internationally. In order to achieve this NEMO liaises with relevant European Union (EU) institutions and other relevant stakeholders and regularly publishes news about EU programmes, policies and initiatives. We train NEMO enables museums to network and share best practice at all levels, building on their capacity and improving the service they offer to the public. It also encourages the building of skills of museum staff, thereby providing a quality public service. We collaborate Through its network and supported by its website, through initiatives and lobbying, NEMO empowers museums to collaborate on multilateral projects at European level and beyond. NEMO works with other cultural organisations in Europe to publicise common causes and objectives and to show how cultural activities can be strengthened by working together. It establishes links with relevant stakeholders to enable its members to work and prosper internationally. 1

OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS NEMO will focus on four key strategic areas that it considers to be important for the museum sector in Europe: social value, collection value, educational value and economic value. All these strategic areas are in sympathy with the objectives of Europe 2020, the EU strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, and underline museums contribution to a sustainable and healthy society. They also contribute to NEMO s mission to help develop a comprehensive overall strategy for cultural heritage, an obligation stipulated in article 3.3 of the Treaty of the European Union. COLLECTION VALUE Collections NEMO believes that collections are at the heart of museums: without them, there would be no museums. They help people determine their place in the world and define their identities. They reflect cultural diversity and are a cornerstone for the identity of people and nations. They provide a window on the world and represent our shared European heritage. The digital shift NEMO believes that the digital shift has had a significant impact on society, and museums have a role to play in this process. Digitisation produces new challenges and opportunities, requiring new skills and a changing awareness both on organisational and on individual levels. Using this tool, museums can engage with a wider and more diverse audience and play an increasingly interactive and educational role within society. Access to and engagement with, museums collections is a human right and should be as wide as possible. To ensure that museums can fully exploit the possibilities the digital shift offers, raising their profile and increasing the range and quality of the services they offer, often to new audiences. Museums in Europe have large and valuable collections that cannot always be shown to the public due to limitations on funding and space. Museums in general are non-commercial institutions supporting education and research in service to society. Museums should not and cannot pay to make their collections available online. Digitising an object alone has limited value. It is the information about the object, its context and the links that can be made to other objects or ideas that creates a lasting impact. At present, copyright management among other considerations - hinders museums in making their collections fully accessible. Museums often lack the necessary funds and skills to exploit the potential of digitization fully. to campaign for reducing physical, (cultural), legal and funding barriers, allowing greater access and use of collections. To press for museums to be able to actively manage their collections for the purpose of sustainability, both to grow and to de-access their collections. To map out and exchange digital content and ensure it is sustainable for future generations. For this, a shared licensing and copyright agreement in Europe is vital. to promote the development and harmonisation of multilingual tools for better access to cultural heritage to raise awareness of the importance of digitization at all levels of museum work. 2

SOCIAL VALUE NEMO believes that museums can change lives. Museums are for and about people. For museums to be truly accountable they must be able to communicate with all generations of the communities they serve. Museums have the potential to strengthen the social fabric of society and act as meeting places for different cultures. To highlight the value of museums to society by contributing to agendas on health, social justice, poverty, education, tolerance and understanding. Museums are not automatically thought of as capable of contributing to or having an impact on social agendas. For museums to be recognised as organisations that can have a significant impact on many current European social agendas. EDUCATIONAL VALUE NEMO believes that museums have an impact on people. Museums are institutions offering formal and informal learning to people of all ages by inspiring and engaging them, as well as helping people understand the world and their place within it. To support museums being recognized by policy makers as rich learning environments and places of public engagement. Education is still not always acknowledged as one of the main functions of museum work. Smaller museums with their lack of resources cannot always provide a comprehensive education programme. To ensure that the policy makers at the national and European level understand and promote the role museums play in formal and informal learning. to make formal and non-formal education bodies recognize museums as potential partners 3

ECONOMIC VALUE Urban and Regional Planning REIMBURSEMENT INFORMATION NEMO believes that museums can offer significant opportunities for economic growth. Museums are often at the heart of successful urban regeneration initiatives. They can help regenerate the local economy. They can help regions to gain their own identity, bring back investment and consumers and enhance the quality of life. Cultural Tourism Museums attract tourists from around the world. Cultural tourism makes one of the most important contributions to local economies, and is a growing industry in Europe. Creativity and Innovation NEMO believes that creativity and innovation are fundamental dimensions of human activity and essential to economic prosperity. Museums act as a focus for reflection on the present and as a source of inspiration for creative and innovative concepts. To ensure that museums are recognised and supported as key assets to urban and regional planning and enhancing quality of life. To ensure that museums are recognised and supported as key players in a flourishing tourism industry. To give visibility to the contribution museums make to the creative industry. Museums are not always recognized as an important factor in urban and regional planning. EU Structural Funds are inadequately tailored to tap into the potential that museums have in urban and regional planning. The EU does not sufficiently acknowledge and support the contribution of museums to cultural tourism as an important aspect of economic growth in Europe. The role of museums as both an incubator and source of creativity and innovation is not well recognised. To show policy makers the many ways in which museums can influence urban and regional planning. To strengthen the position of museums in EU policies which aim at developing the tourism industry To emphasise to the policy makers the significant role museums play in the process of cultural diversity and the free exchange of knowledge, thus inspiring creativity and innovation. 4

NEMO Network of European Museum Organisations In der Halde 1 14159 Berlin Germany www.ne-mo.org