Museums play a crucial role in preserving and disseminating natural and human heritage, promoting cultural diversity, social cohesion, and sustainable development. In recent years, the global museum sector has experienced significant growth and transformation. However, this field still faces several key challenges, most notably the imbalance in the supply and demand of professional talent and the insufficient expertise of many current museum professionals, making it difficult for them to adapt to the transformation and upgrading of museums in the new era.
In response, Zhejiang University, in collaboration with leading higher education institutions worldwide, has established the International Alliance for Teaching Museology in University (IATMU). This alliance aims to address the multifaceted challenges facing the museum industry, particularly in the areas of talent development and professional expertise. By fostering global partnerships and promoting the sharing of high-quality resources in museology education, IATMU seeks to explore new models, pathways, and ecosystems for training museum professionals that align with the demands of the new era.
1. Our Goals and Mission
We are a trans-regional disciplinary alliance organization dedicated to advancing the professionalization, enhancement of synergy, and sustainable development of museology teaching and talent cultivation worldwide. Our goal is to transcend geographical and disciplinary boundaries, promoting global collaboration, resource mobility, and joint mechanisms in museology teaching and professional training. We aim to collectively foster the cultivation of high-quality museum professionals and facilitate the innovative development and transformation of museums.
2. Our Propositions and Actions
We affirm that museums are non-profit, permanent institutions that serve society. They conduct research, collect, conserve, interpret, and exhibit tangible and intangible heritage, are open to the public, and are characterized by accessibility and inclusivity, thereby promoting diversity and sustainability.
We believe that museology teaching refers to educational activities that systematically convey theoretical knowledge and practical skills in museum studies. The core objective is to cultivate professionals equipped with interdisciplinary knowledge and specialized skills, enabling them to perform various functions and professional activities within museums, thereby promoting sustainable museum development and responding to evolving societal needs.
We will collaboratively advance the innovation and system construction of museum professional teaching through the following means:
Regularly holding annual academic events such as alliance conferences and symposiums;
Facilitating the sharing of cutting-edge educational resources and the dissemination of advanced pedagogical knowledge through online sharing and collaborative development;
Organizing annual summer schools to conduct experimental educational innovations and research;
Establishing a digital teaching platform for museum studies to ensure that museology teaching and professional competencies adapt to the new demands of the digital intelligence era.
3. Our Members
Our membership currently consists of over a dozen renowned universities from around the world, all of which are highly regarded in the field of museology teaching and research. These member institutions include:
University College London
University of Leicester
University of Glasgow
The Sorbonne Nouvelle
Reinwardt Academy
Australian National University
Peking University
Fudan University
Shanghai University
Jilin University
Sichuan University
Shandong University
Zhejiang University
University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
4. Our Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, we aspire to become a leading force in global museology teaching, inviting more like-minded universities to join our alliance. We will strive to develop IATMU into a specialized committee under the International Council of Museums (ICOM), contributing to the growth of museology as a discipline globally and enhancing the international influence and professional recognition of the alliance.
Through these efforts, we believe that IATMU will make a positive contribution to the preservation and transmission of global cultural heritage and the sustainable development of society.
Adopted by the Founding Members of the International Alliance for Teaching Museology in University (IATMU), Hangzhou, China, 23 November 2024
Zhejiang University
International Alliance for Teaching Museology in University (IATMU)
