The following institutes involved in the protection of cultural heritage have been visited (with the institutes with an * the visits could not take place before the end of July1997.) Due to the size of the project, the amounts of visits had to be limited. In that context, the project team preferred covering different actors in the field, rather than attempting geographical coverage. This chapter contains summarised versions of the information provided by the institutes during the interviews.
In the following section, further descriptions of the groups of institutes are given. From the text it is clear that some institutes could be placed under more than one heading (e.g. the Nivagaard Foundations, that could be under 3.x.3 as well as 3.x.4). However for reasons of structuring the report, each one is kept under one heading.
Beazley Archives (BA) - UK
The archives hold a collection of photographs, notes and drawings.
Its goal is to provide a resource for teaching in the University
and research. The BA aim at becoming a resource for learning and
teaching for schools and general public.
Audiovisueel Archiefcentrum (Dutch Audiovisual ArchivalCentre, AAC), Hilversum, The Netherlands
On June 25th 1997, the AAC, the Dutch Foundation for Film and
Science (DFFS), the Filmarchive of the state information centre
and the Broadcasting museum have merged into the AAC. The AAC
preserves the broadcasting archives (only Dutch productions) of
the Dutch Public Broadcasting Corporations. Material of commercial
broadcasters is not included. The total collection of the new
AAC consists of 3-4 million objects. Compared to counterparts
in France, England, Germany etc., AAC is small.
Nederlands Architectuur Instituut (Dutch ArchitectureInstitute), Rotterdam, The Netherlands
The NAI is a private institution in the field of architecture, formed in 1989 out of 3 other
institutes. The NAI manages collections of archives, objects and publications on Dutch architecture of
19th and 20th century. The collections are mainly being used for research and education, or exhibitions
in the institute. There are over 11 staff members.
Algemeen Rijksarchief (General State Archive, GSA), The Hague, The Netherlands
The General State Archive and 11 provincial branches form the
State Archives. Its main goal is to keep and make accessible the
governmental archives, mostly after 1795. The service is partly
financed by the government and has to generate part of its income
from other sources. This resulted in only the exploitable archives
being thoroughly described. A Royal family photo archive of over
800,000 items (all on CD-ROM) has been added to the GSA collections.
In addition it holds a central register of private archives.
Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD - or TheNetherlands Institute for Art History), The Hague,
Netherlands
The RKD "aims to compile a complete visual and textual record
of Western and particularly Dutch - visual art from the Late Middle
Ages to the present day and to make this available to visitors
to view and consult." The RKD has 11 departments of documentation
on art in mainly the Low Countries. The materials consist of over
3 million photos and reproductions, over 2 million related items
(writing, publications) and a library of over 400,000 volumes.
The RKD-collections are owned by the state but managed by an independent
foundation.
British Library (BL)
The BL acts as national archive for the UK. It is the legal deposit
for national collections and creates the national bibliography.
It holds its collection to supply to researchers. The BL holds
a very large and diverse collection of printed materials and manuscripts,
part of which are considered 'treasures'. The materials are kept
in storage areas until required. The BL includes the former British
Museum Library and it runs national sound archive.
Science Museum (ScM), London, UK
The ScM is the largest scientific
museum in the world. It has over 200,000 exhibits (of which 2,000
are interactive). Less than 10% of the collection is shown. The
SCM museum group includes Science Museum (Kensington), National
Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Science Museum (Wroughton)
and National Railway Museum (York).
National Gallery (NG), London, UK
The NG is a National Institution.
It holds 2,300 paintings. Activities are aimed at making art
available to public view, the total collection is displayed (if
not undergoing conservation or loaned out). It has an award winning
multimedia based Micro Gallery available to the public.
National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
The museum was founded in 1807 and holds one of the oldest prehistoric
collections. It includes two organisations responsible for national
Cultural Heritage Information:
The NMDC is responsible for the National Museum Artefacts Register (GENREG). This database represents the collections of the national museum: 1 million items, including 160,000 images. The GENREG-system is developed in cooperation with the NRSM-system. The NMD maintains a growing database of (currently) 500,000 images.
Nivagaard Fonden (Nivagaard Foundation, NF), Denmark
The NF was established in 1922 by the last private owner of Nivaagaard,
Johannes Hage. The history of Nivaagaard stretches back to the
17th century, when a brick-making plant was established to supply
a new royal castle nearby. Nivaagaard expanded considerably in
the 19th century. Johannes Hage died without direct heirs and
donated the holdings to several foundations that hold: a manor
house and farmland (the house proceeds to neurological research
and psychiatric patients), a hospital, the Nivaagaard Art Museum
and Nivaagaard Brick-plant Museum. The Art Museum owns an invaluable
collection of (mostly) Dutch and Italian renaissance paintings
plus Danish 19th century paintings and sculpture.
National Database of Archaeological Sites (NRSM), Copenhagen,Denmark
The NRSM is situated in the National Museum of Denmark and closely
works together with the NMDC (see before). The NRSM has materials
documenting 134,000 prehistoric sites in Denmark. Documenting
started in 1873. In 1997 a pilot-project covering more recent
sites and artefacts was started. The NRSM is responsible for maintaining
the national database of sites and monuments (also called NRSM).
Started in 1982, the NRSM in its current format was officially
established in 1984 with the task of maintaining information about
all National Cultural Heritage artefacts and sites from the past
until the present, on land and under the sea. All Danish museums
must report their collections to the NRSM.
Ribes Vikinger (Vikings in Ribe), Denmark
Ribe is an old city on the south-western coasts of Jutland, with
visitors from the surrounding tourist areas. Excavations have
yielded many artefacts from Viking and Middle ages. Since 1855
most of the collections are managed by Ribe Museum. The institution
'Vikings in Ribe' was established in 1995 as an independent unit
of this museum. The ViR holds 500,000 items, of which 10% is
on permanent display. A number of guides regarding Viking-heritage
has been published in cooperation with other institutes. Its
main objective is to popularise finds and research, in cooperation
with the tourism industry.
Royal Commission for Historical Monuments in England (RCHME) -UK
The RCHME states its aim as: "(...) to compile and assess,
curate and make available the national record of England's ancient
monuments and historic buildings for the use of individuals and
bodies concerned with understanding, interpreting and managing
the historic environment". The agency is under the administration
of the Department of National Heritage. There are four groups
that are concerned with activities on: Archaeological Survey,
Architectural Survey, National Monuments Record, and Information
Services and Development.
National Trust - UK
The NT is a charity, set up to preserve Cultural Heritage buildings,
gardens, countryside of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The NT holds over 200 properties open to the public and 25,000
tenants. There are about 4 million artefacts, of which most are
on display in the properties. Ownership is split between Trust
and families.
Projectbureau Industrieel Erfgoed (Project agency IndustrialHeritage, PIH), Zeist, The Netherlands
PIH was started in 1991 to provide knowledge for selection of
Industrial Heritage Monuments in the Netherlands. The inventory
of collections of moveable Industrial Heritage is part of the
PIH tasks. Though the PIH has no collection of its own, it is
involved in maintaining an inventory of 10,000 buildings and 170
collections of Industrial Heritage.
Vasari Ltd. (VA), Aldershot, UK
Vasari Ltd. and related EVA conferences came out of work sponsored
by EC. EVA brings together user, supplier and research committees.
The EVA conferences are located throughout Europe, with focus
on London, and in total attract over 1,000 specialists a year.
Museum Documentation Association (MDA), Cambridge, UK
The MDA objective is worded as: "Promotion of the education
of the public by the development of museums and similar organisations
as sources of information". MDA's main function is providing
information standards to the museum community by a process of
consensus (e.g. SPECTRUM). The Board consists of representatives
of National Museums and AMC's (Area Museum Council, that deals
with smaller museums).
Statens Museumsn'vn (Danish National Council of Museums,DNCM), Copenhagen, Denmark
The DNCM co-ordinates national policies among 300 institutions
and represents Danish museums in various international organisations
(ICOM, CIDOC, MoU etc.). The DNMC is responsiblefor two national
registers:
The NRSM is maintained by the National Museum (see above). The AID is maintained by the National Museum of Fine Art.
Corporation of London, Digital Imaging Project (COLDIP),London, UK
The Corporation of London is the local administration authority
for the City of London and includes 3 reference libraries, 3 lending
libraries, the Barbican Art Gallery and many historical buildings.
COLDIP holds some 250,000 corporation documents/objects - 35,000
on paper, 3,000 paintings and a few hundred sculptures and bound
books, of which most are kept in closed access areas.