For immediate release
ICOM SEEKS NEW INTERNET DOMAIN FOR MUSEUMS
Application for .museum submitted to ICANN for public comment
through October 27
PARIS - Responding to an open call for proposals, the
International Council of Museums (ICOM), as a founder member of
the Museum Domain Management Association (MDMA), has submitted an
application to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) to create .museum, a restricted top-level domain
name (TLD) on the Internet. The initiative would benefit the
global museum community and its publics by clearly defining a
place for nonprofit museums and the resources they offer in
cyberspace. This is the first time that the museum community,
through its professional organization ICOM, has collectively
stepped forward to assert a unique presence and identity on the
World Wide Web since the emergence of this important mass medium.
ICANN, the Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that
oversees the Internet domain name system, issued its call for
proposals with a closing deadline of October 2. During a
comprehensive review phase through October 27, ICANN will solicit
public comment on the applications it has received. ICANN is
expected to announce successful applicants by the end of the
year. All applications will be published on ICANN's web site,
www.icann.org. This is the first time since the late 1980s that
the possibility for new international Internet top-level domain
names is being made available. The .museum domain will be
restricted, with eligibility limited to museums and their
professional organizations based on ICOM's definition of museum,
which continues to be discussed and modified as the museum field
evolves. ICOM is a non-governmental organization established in
1946 with over 16,000 members. It defines a museum as "a
non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of
society and of its development, and open to the public, which
acquires, conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits, for
purposes of study, education, and enjoyment, material evidence of
people and their environment."
"The museum community shares a common purpose-providing access to
the histories of evidence of people and their environments,"
explains Jacques Perot, President of ICOM. "As we expand our
reach into cyberspace, our missions and the reasons people depend
upon us do not change. It is perhaps even more important in
cyberspace than it is in physical space for museums to have an
authentic identity, ensuring that our vast collections and
information holdings are accessible and verifiable."
If approved by ICANN, .museum will be administered by a newly
formed non-profit trade association, the Museum Domain Management
Association (MDMA). MDMA's two founder members are ICOM and the
J. Paul Getty Trust, and serving on its board of directors are
ICOM President Jacques Perot, ICOM Vice President Bernice Murphy,
Getty Museum Director and Trust Vice President Deborah Gribbon,
and Getty Museum Assistant Director Kenneth Hamma.
The J. Paul Getty Trust-in addition to operating the Getty
Museum, Research Institute, Conservation Institute-plays a
philanthropic role for museums around the world and serves the
professional field in many ways, including through the Getty
Leadership Institute. The Getty Trust worked closely with ICOM to
prepare the formal application for .museum and assisted ICOM in
the establishment of MDMA.
"As an extension of our mission of service to the museum field,
the Getty is proud to be playing a catalytic role in the creation
of .museum," says the Getty's Gribbon. "The Internet can be a
critical point of access and a valuable tool for the public. But
it can also be a place where meaning and authenticity get lost.
The creation of .museum will give our public and professional
audiences greater confidence in the Internet as a point of access
to museum collections and information."
Many museums already have a presence on the Internet, while
others, due partly to financial and technical limitations, are
moving into cyberspace more slowly. Developing a clear cyberspace
identity for the museum community as a whole is expected to help
bridge this digital divide. Proponents believe that .museum,
along with value-added services that can be provided to its
members, will give museums that have not yet participated
actively in the development of the Internet the support to do so.
# # #
ICOM is an international and non-profit organization dedicated to
the development and advancement of museums and the museum
profession. Founded in 1946, ICOM counts 16,000 members in 147
countries providing a world-wide communications network for
museum professionals of all disciplines and specialities. It is a
Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in formal association with
UNESCO, and has been granted advisory status by the United
Nations Economic and Social Council. Its Paris-based Secretariat
and Museum Information Centre ensure the day-to-day running of
the organization and the co-ordination of its activities and
programmes.
For more information about ICOM, see www.icom.org.
The Getty is an international cultural and philanthropic
organization serving both general audiences and specialized
professionals. The Getty achieves its mission through the
innovative and complementary activities of the J. Paul Getty
Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation
Institute, and the Getty Grant Program. A tax-benefited
institution, educational in purpose and character, the Getty
focuses on the visual arts in all of their dimensions and their
capacity to strengthen and to inspire aesthetic and humanistic
values. The Getty makes a difference by weaving together the
presentation, enjoyment, study, and conservation of the visual
arts in order to increase the public's knowledge and sensitivity,
expand its awareness and creativity, sharpen its understanding
and caring-all with the conviction that cultural enlightenment
and community involvement in the arts can help lead to a more
civil society.
For more information about the Getty, see www.getty.edu.
Contacts:
Valerie Jullien, Communications Officer
International Council of Museums
+33 1 4568 2836 - [log in to unmask]
Sylvia Sukop, Sr. Communications Specialist
J. Paul Getty Trust
+1 310 440 6966 - [log in to unmask]
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