[7 July 2010] A new study visit to the open air museums in Norway
The team from June visiting the museums in Norway within the project was made of 8 members from the management board of ASTRA Museum and it took place between 28 June and 5 July 2010. During this time the management team visited the following museums and institutions in Norway: Cultural Directorate (Riksantikvaren), ABM Utvikling, Norsk Folkemuseum, Vigeland Museum, Oslo City Museum - Oslo, Lands Museum - Dokka, Maihaugen Museum si Norwegian Crafts Development (NHU) - Lillehammer, Sverresborg Trondelag Museum – Trondheim.
The main objectives of this study visit were to identify examples of good practice in the visited open air museums management strategies and building new partnerships through developing bilateral relations.
ASTRA Museum team members held discussions with the representatives of the above-mentioned institutions focusing both on a medium and a long term cooperation as well as on gathering useful information for the museum efficient policy. The following areas of interest were especially focused on: internal organization and procedures, experience with fundraising and project implementation, non –reimbursable programs, finding partnership opportunities, methods of putting into practice the specialized knowledge and techniques in the management of an institution of the `living museum` type, the design and development of a marketing plan and of a communication campaign, the involvement of the visited institutions in the community where they belong.
Likewise strategies for adding value to the heritage were analyzed, the examples of good management of administration costs through efficient employment of the human and financial resources, the employees’ motivation. The experience and management procedures approached in both countries were counter-balanced having as support the themes mentioned above and improvement propositions were made for the existing methods based on the fact that the ASTRA Museum staff could take advantage of this study visit through the subsequent information dissemination.
