NEMO Annual meeting 2004, Amsterdam
MUSEUMS IN LITHUANIA
Six year ago in Lithuanian press, there was often expressed the following kind of queries – aren’t there too many museums in Lithuania? For a Baltic State, having about 3 million residents, to have 107 museums is too much of a luxury; maybe it would be better to close some of them? Thank God, nobody has similar questions in mind nowadays. It is clear to everybody – museums are the integral part of country’s cultural landscape; the abundance and variety of museums speaks about society’s mature outlook of preservation and propagation of cultural and historical heritage.
During past fifteen years, Lithuania has been gradually undergoing the change in a steady concept of traditional, conservative museum. Upon breaking of the walls after restoration of Independence, the rising opportunities to see the newest expositions in European countries, the experience and knowledge of foreign colleagues, and the strive to remain relevant and important, has made museums evaluate society needs, and to gradually become not just the museum that preserves, accumulates, researches, systemizes the values, but along with that to turn into socially active institution of education and culture.
The structure of Lithuania’s museums
Currently, Lithuania has:
3 national museums,
14 republican museums (they are subordinate to Ministry of Culture),
2 county museums,
61 municipality museums,
21 departmental museums,
6 independent and public enterprises
They are divided by subject into the following categories:
Architecture
Literature
Memorial
Arts
Nature
History
Science and technology
Schools
In past years, 2402224 people have visited the museums of our country.
According to the data of year 2003 report, there were 5165807 exhibits kept in all of Lithuania’s museums.
Legal base of museums
On May 29, 2003, the main document regulating the activity of Lithuania’s museums was released – Regulation on Changes of Lithuania’s Museums Law, which describes Lithuania’s museums’ fund, institutes the system of Lithuania’s museums, the order of museums’ establishment and liquidation, record and security of museums’ valuables, financing and management. The new edition of regulation was produced upon acceptance of the new edition of Civil Code of Republic of Lithuania, Local Municipality Fundamentals Regulation, Juridical Persons Register Regulation and other legal acts.
On August 15, 1996, by the decision of the Government, the regulation of State museum was certified. On December 31, 1997, The Minister of Culture has certified “Instruction for State museums’ collection security, record, and storage”. It comprehensively elaborates on the composition of museum collection, the order of making and using it, protection, record, and storage of exhibits, the obligations and rights of museum personnel related to collections’ protection, record, and storage. That is a major document directing museum employees in their daily work.
On August 17, 1999, by the order of the Minister of Culture, the regulation of Transfer of Archeological Findings to Museums was certified.
In the regulation of Policy of Lithuanian Culture, the new outlook of museum’s institution was consolidated, which means that the activity of up-to-date museum is closely tied with functions of culture, education, and distribution of information. The valuables of culture and art, stored in museums of the country, enable us to broaden and improve the services rendered to their visitors.
Museums have to coordinate accumulation and storage of valuables, provision of information to the society, and its enlightenment.
In bringing the set objective into life, it is essential to:
-establish common and open to society data base of collections of Lithuania’s museums and rendered services;
-to create in museums the proper conditions for storage and protection of historical, cultural, natural, and scientific heritage objects, to expand and improve the conditions of collections’ restoration;
-to expand museums’ autonomy;
-to encourage museums’ links with education and tourism;
-to create and apply the museums modernization program.
Using these established priorities today, the policy of Lithuania’s museums is being formed.
In 2003, by the order of the Minister of Culture, the Museums Council has been established. This is the organization, operating in accordance with social fundamentals, executing functions of an expert and consultant in handling issues on formation and implementation of museums policy. The most crucial task of the Council is to present proposals to the Ministry of Culture regarding the formation of cultural policy of museology field and the implementation of such policy. The Ministry, in guidance of conclusions of Museums Council, establishes, reorganizes, finances, and controls the subordinate museums, accepts juridical documents, regulating museums’ activity.
Since year 1996, the museums registration in Culture Enterprises Register has been started. The Ministry of Culture executes it.
According to regulation of Culture Enterprises Register, it registers only cultural enterprises that get finance from the state and municipality budget. Up to year 2004, there were 70 museums registered in Culture Enterprises Register. According to the Juridical Persons Register Law, from January 1, 2004 the culture enterprises are registered in Juridical Persons Register.
According to Museums Law, the ministry partially finances the expansion of state museums, museums’ valuables restoration, and scholarly research programs.
Museums’ public organizations
At the end of 1994, the Lithuanian National Committee of international ICOM organization has been established.
In December of 1995, the Lithuanian Museums’ Association (LMA) has been established.
Lithuanian Museums’ Association (LMA) is a voluntary, non-profit organization, uniting museums of Lithuania. The key objective of LMA is to coordinate museums for the joint activity and to organize and encourage cooperation of museums and their reciprocal support.
LMA
-renders methodical help and information to museums, sponsor newly established museums;
-organizes and sponsors refreshment of museums employees qualification and professional training;
-propagates and strengthens the role of museums in society, participates in implementing education programs;
-releases informative publication of Lithuania’s museums;
-takes part in resolving disputes between museums and other enterprises; represents and stands for Lithuania’s museums interests in state and private enterprises and public organizations; develops international museums’ relations by cooperating with International Council of Museums (ICOM) Lithuanian Department;
LMA includes actual members, associate members, sponsor-members, and honored members.
Actual members can be Lithuania’s museums, and other organizations related to museum activity.
Sponsor-members can be individuals or organizations, supporting and propagating the activity of Lithuania’s museums, and also museums situated in other countries, maintaining and propagating cultural heritage of Lithuania.
Honored members can be individuals who have had merits before Lithuania’s museology.
LMA Governing Body
LMA governing members are constituted of general members’ assembly together with officers.
The general members’ assembly is the highest governing body of LMA.
The Governing Body regulated LMA activity in periods between the general members’ assembly. LMA administration is made up of LMA Chairperson, the assistant, the treasurer, and six members.
LMA is fulfilling its objectives through activity of committees. In the activity of collection security, inventory, and protection committee, collection scientific inquiry committee, education and management committees, the specialists of corresponding areas take part, forwarding the activity into the most relevant issues of nowadays’ museology.
Today, LMA has 73 members.
On November of 1998, Lithuania’s Municipalities Museums Directors Society has been established.
Currently, 45 members belong to Municipalities Museums Directors Society.
Community’s objectives:
ü To help municipalities’ museums in organizing and implementing various cultural and educational projects;
ü To provide methodical materials to municipalities’ museums;
ü To support various activity fields of municipalities’ museums in a manifold way.
In 2004, Municipalities Museums Directors Community has organized and implemented 3 projects:
ü Heritage 2004
ü Lithuania’s manors – the fireplaces of professional culture
ü Presentation of cross craft in Lithuania’s museums
Objective of the project “Heritage 2004” is to restore and exhibit the most valuable cultural heritage valuables belonging to museums of Municipalities, which have not been restored and exhibited up till now.
In implementation of the project “Heritage 2004”, there were 12 museums of municipalities taking part.
Objective of the project “Lithuania’s manors – the fireplaces of professional culture “The Moon with the Star Were Willing to Be Here” is to present cultural heritage of Earls Tiškevičiai to the community. The project is being fulfilled by organizing events at municipalities’ museums, manors, schools, and libraries.
Museums informational system
On March 1, 2000, upon signing the contract with the Lithuanian Cultural Administrators Training Centre (LCATC), LMA became the general publisher of informational publication for museums called “The Bulletin of Museology”. That publication announces information on museums events, work related topics, and news.
Since year 2003, the Association of Lithuania’s museums releases the journal “Museums of Lithuania” and its addition “The Bulletin of Museology” – that is a quarterly thematic panorama of Lithuanian museology – heritage, tourism, education, region culture area, which are constantly discussed not just in informative, but in analytical articles as well.
Impressive and meaningful work has been performed while creating museums’ portal “Museums of Lithuania”. Having typed its address www.muziejai.lt you can find not only the detailed information on museums of the country, but also the virtual exhibitions, events, and projects’ descriptions done prepared by them.
Museums’ workers training
One of the main activity areas of LMA units is the conveyance of the newest information and methodology to the skilled employees of museums. However, the activity and special training institution – the Lithuanian Cultural Administrators Training Center (LCATC) – is the major institution of culture employees’ refreshment institution in Lithuania. It is a subordinate of the Ministry of Culture, being financed from the budget.
LCATC constitutes training programs, organizes successive studies of culture employees, with museum workers among them, the training of culture administrators, releases informational publications on culture, participates in international projects.
LCATC is a member of European Culture Administrators Training Centers’ Network, a member of Lithuania’s Public Administration Training Association.
During the current year, about 250 museum employees and culture administrators were raising their qualification.
Year 2001 marked a start of Master’s degree Museology studies at Communication Department of Vilnius University and Bachelor’s degree studies at Siauliai University.
Issues
One of the biggest issues in work of Lithuania’s museums is the fact that they still do not have collections databases. Currently, every museum has its own electronic catalogization, but sometimes does not have it at all; therefore, it will take a long time before the all collections of Lithuania’s museums could be included into the general database.
Another subject of a big relevance is physically and morally outdated museum expositions, which cannot echo the needs of a modern person anymore and does not meet the functions of the modern museum. The museums modernization program that would have to guarantee the long-term financing intended for reconstruction of museums expositions has already been started to work on. Before the launch of that program, Lithuanian museologists would greatly benefit from the experience in the fields of expositions creation and museums management of colleagues from European counties, including museums that belong to NEMO.
Olga Zaliene
Lithuanian Museums Association