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Distant
Relations: The Place of Libraries in Museums
(By Ana P. Labrador)
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The significance of Gabriel
Bernardo's work bears upon all of us in the academe
today. Without his tireless effort to modernize the
library system, many would have been lost in their
effort to read a poem, find out who the first
quantum physicist was or understand the kula ring
exchange in the Trobriand Islands in the Pacific. In
a sense, no matter how much we complain about the
library not having enough books for our specialist
knowledge, we would be poorer without a sound
library system, which Prof. Bernardo has helped to
create. Ultimately we would not have a proper
library in which to absorb and wallow in the books
that represent the incredible production of
knowledge.
As you can surmise from my opening comment, I am not
here to talk about Prof. Bernardo but of the effect
of his dedication to lay the foundation for a
University Library. More significantly, I am looking
at efforts such as his in the context of museums. In
many instances, librarians and museum curators have
similar roles as keepers of collections, presenting
expert knowledge and devising public access.
Museums, libraries and archives are related with one
another, bound by the materials they keep. Library
Studies scholar Georgen Gilliam (2002) pointed out
that they all keep documents. I have noted this in
the past even art collections are documents,
considering the different sectors who visit the
exhibits.
One of the chief differences lie in interpreting
collections where curators are expected to inform,
educate and entertain visitors through exhibits. But
as I will relate to you later, many roles crossover
between librarians and curators since museum and
libraries are like cousins who even if they have
been estranged by territorial disputes of
jurisdiction, remain related. On the other hand,
neither do they have to merge and become one bungled
bureaucracy. Using the analogy further, cousins
cannot marry based on most local practices as well
as by Philippine law. Perhaps this separate legal
framework should be the case for libraries and
museums too.
Early last year I was one of the discussants at a
forum led by the Society of Student Archivists. We
had an interesting dialogue in Putting Our Acts
Together: Cooperation Among Archives, Libraries and
Museums. In that forum I put forward the importance
of libraries in museums. More particularly I cited
many cases, such as the institution I represent,
where museum collections do not only comprise the
objects in its storage and exhibit halls. In
addition to constituting its holdings in the
museums, often there is little mention of books and
papers used as record and for research. I am glad
that I have been given another opportunity to expand
my discussion on their significance in terms of our
heritage.
Keeping libraries are essential part of museum work.
For instance the bulk of what is seen on exhibition
depended on the research done outside and within the
premises of the museum. But as Bierbaum (1996) noted
“museum libraries do not yet appear to be an
overwhelming concern for the museum profession. The
relationships between museums and libraries are also
linked by the work engaged by either one. Primarily
it is scholarly concerns that are part of the work
of curators, researchers, scientists and collections
managers. The International Council of Museums
(1996) stress upon public access to the collection
whether they are researchers, viewers or learners. A
point to consider with reference to making the
library in museum more accessible is to ask if the
library in a museum considered a restricted
collection of the department or office taking in
whose possession it cares for. In the case of UPVM,
the lack of staff to mind the museum has limited
access.
Another interesting distinction is that libraries in
museums are different from libraries attached to
museums. Eventually these become separate
institutions such as in the case of the British
Museum and Library that only became independent from
each other in 1973. Compare this to the National
Museum where the Library was conceptually and
physically detached by law in 1928.
Eventually department offices may opt to create
collections for their own libraries in museums (just
like in Universities) to acquire and keep books for
their use (e.g. Conservation Department at the NM).
In whatever forms libraries might take shape,
museums build scholarship through putting together
libraries.
All these ideas that I have been describing will be
more understandable with illustrated examples. Let
me show you the slides now to illustrate my
discussion of the place of libraries in museums.
The Smithsonian Institution used to be called the
National Museum located at the heart of Washington
DC. A series of buildings, mainly of neoclassical
design stand at the Mall between the Washington
Monument and the Capitol. This complex of museums
encompasses almost every human interest: the
National Air and Space Museum, the Museum of
American History, the Hischorn Gallery, and the
Natural History Museum are just some of those
museums. It will probably take you months to cover
all the exhibitions in the galleries. These lively
activities will not be possible without the
libraries in each museum that serve not only the
museum staff but also international researchers.
Today with the new head of Smithsonian who mainly
think in fiscal terms, many of the libraries are
being shut and placed in a big, central museum where
users will probably take forever to find anything.
The New British Library in St Pancras. Much
criticized for its ugly architecture outside, the
new Library was physically detached from the British
Museum at Russell Square. The famous Round Reading
Room where Marx wrote Das Kapital has been turned
into exhibition spaces. The library collections
include printed books, manuscripts, maps, music and
stamps. Its practice of exhibiting manuscripts, rare
books and other documents continue today.
The Library at the Antoni Tapies Museum in
Barcelona. This is a good example of a converted
building and the library was part of Tapies bequest
to the City of Barcelona. He is one of the most
important Catalan artists in the 20th century along
with Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro.
Impressed by the quality and the craftsmanship of
the storage shelves, which has not been touched
since the Montaner I Simon publishing house was
completed, the architects took the structure as the
basis for the library project. The storage shelves
acquired a dual function as pieces of furniture and
space distribution elements. The fundamental idea of
the transformation is a very simple principle: the
storage shelves became bookshelves.
The National Museum of the Philippines Library.
Padlocked and has been closed for a long time. It is
an example of how centralizing the collection
results to a lack of users and their collection
becoming redundant.
The NMP Deparmental libraries may just be seen as
shelves but researchers and staff depend on them.
This is an example of the Conservation Departments
collection and its head said that they cannot trust
the central library to take care of their books. The
strong reference collections are found in the
departments.
The Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research
Center. This is an example of a library within the
museum and its collection donated by one person.
There are 4,700 volumes in the Library. We are
currently in the process of physically reorganizing
it and cataloguing the collection to make the
library more accessible.
The Bodleian Library in Oxford. This is an example
of what we are aspiring for at the Vargas Museum,
integrating sound practices of display for access
and appreciation of our rich materials.
European libraries beset by problems of
conservation. Deterioration of books reflect
negatively on how we regard our patrimony. Libraries
like museums are part of our cultural heritage.
We need to carefully examine the future of libraries
within museums in terms of budget allocation,
accreditation standards, and “workplace
enhancements” such as technological advances in the
field (Bierbaum, 1996). The UPVM is yet to achieve
all that but perhaps examining it briefly might give
us some ideas why art museums tend to take care of
its libraries more than others. Having been donated
from a private collector, indications point to
Vargas valuing the UPVM library collections. This
can be seen in terms of: 1. part of his donation to
the UP; (2) the specialized nature of the library
and archive collection, including rare books,
Filipiniana, the Commonwealth and Japanese periods:
and (4) the requisite though skeletal staff to mind
the collection.
Someday I am hoping that the UPVM should have a
curatorial team to head the museums, archives and
libraries that comprise of specialists, in the field
including a curator that is free of a director’s job
like mine at present, a college librarian whose
status equal that of faculty members and a full-time
museum specialist. When that time comes, the UPVM
will become a full-pledged research center honoring
not just the man who made the collection possible
but also its users who deserve much more than we can
give them.
Let me end this lecture with a personal anecdote to
illustrate the importance of librarians and curators
everywhere in preserving our national patrimony. At
the time Gabriel Bernardo was the Professor Emeritus
after his stint as a University Librarian, my mother
entered UP as a freshman. Being from a small town,
she was overwhelmed by the vast University Library
and could not use it being afraid of such halls. She
nearly failed her English I if not for a librarian
-whose name she forgot - who helped her find her way
around. After that my mother’s love for books and
libraries never waned. I grew up surrounded by books
and an appreciation for libraries and librarians. We
must thank pioneers and prescient people like
Bernardo who cared enough so we can be more
educated. He inspires me and have put that same
determination in making accessible the collection of
the Vargas Museum including its library and
archives.
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