Hi,
I've only recently joined this list, I joined ICOM/ICOM-UK last year and
have some thoughts regarding this issue. I feel the main issues (for me at
least) has been around poor communication/marketing of ICOM itself and its
events. I haven't been to any ICOM events even though I am an active member
of a number of UK-based museums organisations, and my workplace will
support national travel to events (though rarely international).
I joined two committees when I signed up to ICOM but no-one has ever
communicated to me what I need to do to be active on them.
I think that the ICOM magazines are visually quite dull, mainly black and
white (maybe with a single colour), the ICOM news has an incredibly small
typeface making it difficult to read (I have no visual impairment). There
are no other mailings or extra information included with them. They do not
make me want to read them.
I just looked through my last ICOM-UK magazine and there is nothing about
up-and-coming events. Details of the meetings listed in ICOM news are very
brief, just the title/theme but no further information - obviously we can
email to find out but the communication is bad as nothing grabs you and
makes you think 'oh, that sounds interesting' etc.
The websites of ICOM and ICOM-UK are not up to the visual quality or
intuitive accessible structure of other organisations - the new ICOM
website does look like it might be a very significant improvement visually
and structurally this may help. The events page of ICOM-UK currently lists
events from 2003, the calendar page of ICOM does not make it immediately
clear what each event.
I use the websites/magazines of a number of Museum organisations regularly
to find out all sorts of information. I think the main issue is that when
compared to other organisations (in the UK - Museums Association, Museum
Documentation Association, Regional MLA's etc...) ICOM simply does not
compete well in the fields of communication or marketing. I always seem to
know, with minimal effort what the UK organisations are up to (via emails,
websites, publications sent to me at home, and to my workplace) and I have
gone to meetings, taken part in panels/committees etc. I feel I learn more
about what is going on internationally in museums from UK Museums
publications and UK newspapers.
I also wonder about your definition of 'youth' as under 40? I'm 30 and I
don't think I am young any more, certainly too old to join anything
labelled 'youth-organisation'. To me (and marketing organisations) the
youth age group is 16-25.
Aside from the free entry to every museum I have tried using it in - a very
considerable benefit I admit - I have felt that ICOM has not added anything
to my knowledge of museums/ the museum world. I hope this can change.
Rachel Cockett
Birmingham, UK
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