In frigid Toronto, on January 30, 2018, a beautifully organized Summit for Canadian Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAMs) was hosted by Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Museums Association, and the Ottawa Declaration Working Group. I was thrilled to attend, representing The Ontario Historical Society.
It was an extraordinary event, filled with insights from top Canadian GLAM sector personnel, with the unexpected bonus of running into many colleagues and friends.
We are at @ROMtoronto, hosting Taking It to the Next Level: Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAMs) Summit 2018! @ODWG_GTDO Today’s program: https://t.co/rVrUCnlDUB Follow #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/lfA64hkC5n
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
First thing on entering the Royal Ontario Museum’s Eaton Theatre, the 300 plus attendees were greeted by an enormous tweet wall displaying live tweets of the Summit’s #GLAM2018 hashtag (which trended in Canada) ~ amazing!
The day has finally arrived! Waiting for #GLAM2018 at @ROMtoronto to start. pic.twitter.com/VNKAkipmwX
— ODWG/GTDO (@ODWG_GTDO) January 30, 2018
The tweet wall, which was displayed between presentations, was a brilliant idea. It promoted attendee engagement, encouraging us to share our photos and thoughts, with the bonus of creating a record of the proceedings for later reference.
It became obvious early on that others were already doing a fantastic job recording (and sharing) the bons mots, so I concentrated on listening, taking down only a few notes relevant to my own situation working with a heritage-focused not for profit.
Of the many tweets on the day, here is a selection which reflects the presentations and ideas I found most insightful. Well done, tweeters, and huge thanks to the Summit organizers. Enjoy!
Program shortcuts (as this is quite a long post):
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Keynote Address I: The Honourable Patricia Bovey
Session I: GLAMs and Communities
Session II: GLAMs and Indigenous Communities
Keynote Address II: Sara Diamond
Session III: GLAMs and the Private Sector
Session IV: GLAMs and Government Priorities
Keynote Address III: Jack Lohman
Closing Remarks
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Mark Engstrom, Deputy Director, Royal Ontario Museum (delivered later in the day, as he was delayed, like many of us, by serious breakdowns on the TTC that morning)
Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Library and Archives Canada
.@GuyBerthiaume2, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, sets the tone for collaboration and innovation at #GLAM2018 in his opening remarks. pic.twitter.com/4cY5b6EZID
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
Keynote Address I: The Honourable Patricia Bovey
Independent Senator for Manitoba, “Responding, Challenging and Leading: The Arts, Societal Needs and Senate Initiatives”
Senator Patricia Bovey: Let’s break down the silos between galleries, libraries, archives, and museums. We’re more together. We are memory institutions that tell (real, factual) stories #GLAM2018 @ROMToronto
— Brendan FR Edwards (@brendanfedwards) January 30, 2018
Senator Patricia Bovey gave a great start to the day; appealing for an end to compartmentalizing & shielding ourselves from the past, asking if GLAMs are initiating dialogue with immigrants & refugees, & mentioning the work of a Canadian Cultural Bill of Rights draft #GLAM2018
— Francesca Bouaoun (@frantasticx) January 31, 2018
And we are off! Taking it to the Next Level #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/OnRPoBuhf3
— Susan Franklin1 (@Susan_Franklin1) January 30, 2018
Senator Bovey: ‘Families attend museums together; they don’t go to school together.’ The importance of GLAMs in Canadian culture. #GLAM2018
— ODWG/GTDO (@ODWG_GTDO) January 30, 2018
‘The digital platform is important but don’t forget the original images, texts, and objects’ cautions Senator Patricia Bovey #GLAM2018 @BiblioArchives @McGillLib pic.twitter.com/7AYMBCyFKm
— Nathalie Cooke (@CookeNathalie) January 30, 2018
@senpatbovey inspires with her leadership on national portrait gallery, cultural diplomacy, human rights and health. #GLAM2018
— Gail Dexter Lord (@Gail_Lord) January 30, 2018
Session I: GLAMs and Communities
This session will look at regional case studies to speak to insights, benefits and lessons learned from innovative GLAM partnerships.
- Moderator: Maureen Sawa, CEO, Greater Victoria Public Library and Past Chair, Canadian Urban Libraries Council
- Heather Kelly, Founder/Director, Bloor St. Culture Corridor
- Andrea Stewart, Co-Chair, Libraries, Archives and Museums Nova Scotia
- Daphne Wood, Past President, British Columbia Library Association
#GLAM2018 Panel I: GLAMs and Communities – Insights, benefits and lessons learned from innovative GLAM partnerships. With @heather_kelly, Andrea Stewart, Daphne Wood, Past President, @bclaconnect. Moderator: Maureen Sawa, @GVPL pic.twitter.com/LmSY0i3Snl
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
@BloorStCulture sounds like an amazing example of citizen-driven cultural institution rather than just citizen-centric. A consortium of 19 arts & culture orgs working together, as equal partners. WOW. #GLAM2018
— Alex Haggert Way (@AlexHaggertWay) January 30, 2018
It’s an amazing partnership. @torontolibrary is thrilled to be part of it. Great creative and generous group of people and institutions to work with. #GLAM2018 https://t.co/A18aJVwBVR
— Linda Hazzan (@lhazzan) January 30, 2018
Daphene Wood – the GLAM sector in BC found common values to establish their partnership on. Each association signed an agreement that was made public then put their words into action. #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/eszG9YE9Mj
— TahltanLibrarian (@CamilleCallison) January 30, 2018
#GLAM2018 : Nova Scotia considering developing a singular portal for all gallery/museum/archives collections.
— Region of Peel Archives @ PAMA (@archivespama) January 30, 2018
#GLAM2018 @libraryarchives GLAMs can be used to support public good. What tools are we using to assess public good? How do GLAMs check this? This topic reminds me of @futureofmuseums at #OMAConf2017 “We need new metrics”
— Kendra J. Campbell (@kendrajcampbell) January 30, 2018
How TIFF put the Ottawa Declaration into practice with its “Connecting Communities + Cultures” symposium https://t.co/37Fltn55Jc #GLAM2018
— Librarianship.ca (@LibrarianshipCA) January 30, 2018
Session II: GLAMs and Indigenous Communities
This session will look at how GLAMs can work more closely with Indigenous communities and individuals to renew relationships that are based on mutual understanding and respect.
- Moderator: Petal Furness, President, Ontario Museum Association and Museum Manager, Grey Roots Museum and Archive
- Alan Ojiig Corbiere, Anishinaabe Historian, M’Chigeeng First Nation
- Chief Dr. Ronald E. Ignace, Chief of the Skeetchestn Band
- Tim Johnson, Executive Producer of RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World (trailer) and former Smithsonian Institution executive
@AlanCorbiere speaks the language of small organizations – “I have to reapply for grants for my own job.” How can we work on reconciliation when so much energy is spent on basic operational funding? #GLAM2018
— OurDigitalWorld (@ODWorg) January 30, 2018
#GLAM2018 Panel II: GLAMs and #Indigenous Communities – How we can work more closely to renew relationships based on mutual understanding and respect. With @tult7, @AlanCorbiere. Moderator: @petalcarmiel pic.twitter.com/6RD3QMBZ3z
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
Chief Dr. Ronald E. Ignace spoke of the dark colonial legacy of museums. Connections to the past which are in storage are troubling – Indigenous legacy is removed & scattered, & some communities are too disjointed to effectively take action #GLAM2018
— Francesca Bouaoun (@frantasticx) January 31, 2018
#GLAM2018 #decolonizingGLAMs legacy of turning ancestors and treasures into specimens – much work still to be done. Listening and changing relationships. pic.twitter.com/TnQlPmnwcX
— Jo McCutcheon (@jomac_613) January 30, 2018
‘We would love the opportunity to tell our own stories and represent our own people.’ -Chief Dr. Ronald E. Ignace at #GLAM2018 https://t.co/xW8x682zSl
— Jyotika Malhotra (@jyotika) January 30, 2018
The Landscape of Nations memorial was highlighted by Tim Johnson as a tribute to Indigenous participation in the War of 1812. It is also juxtaposed with the nearby Brock monument to raise public awareness of Indigenous involvement in the Battle of Queenston Heights #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/dlSNxe1caH
— Francesca Bouaoun (@frantasticx) January 31, 2018
Keynote Address II: Sara Diamond
President and Vice Chancellor, OCAD University, “Archiving Creativity”
Another great keynote speaker confirmed for #GLAM2018: Dr. Sara Diamond, President of OCAD University. Diamond is a data visualization, wearable technology and mobile media researcher, artist, designer and scientist. https://t.co/MJ2qafq0Yx pic.twitter.com/JGi4w5QTVh
— ODWG/GTDO (@ODWG_GTDO) December 20, 2017
Dr. Sara Diamond: the digital empowers us to expand the physical archive to broader audiences, reimagining/reordering/uncovering new/deeper meanings #GLAM2018 @ROMtoronto
— Brendan FR Edwards (@brendanfedwards) January 30, 2018
Dr Sara Diamond: GLAMs have a role in co-designing tools/places to sustain present/obsolete digital archives, keep them alive #GLAM2018 @ROMtoronto
— Brendan FR Edwards (@brendanfedwards) January 30, 2018
Metadata is important, helps us to navigate the complexity of language — Dr. Sara Diamond #GLAM2018
— Donna (@donnaeskye) January 30, 2018
Session III: GLAMs and the Private Sector
This session will examine how GLAMs can leverage community links to work with the private sector to encourage greater innovation.
- Moderator: Vickery Bowles, Chief Librarian, Toronto Public Library
- Speaker: Chris Kitzan, Director General, Canada Aviation and Space Museum
- Discussant: Andrea Cohen Barrack, Vice President, Community Relations and Corporate Citizenship, TD Corporation
- Discussant: Rupert Duchesne, Vice President, Board of Trustees, Art Gallery of Ontario
- Discussant: Douglas Knight, Chair and CEO, Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation
Here goes Session III: GLAMs and the Private Sector #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/ACbuPclPZj
— Hillary Walker Gugan (@HillaryWGugan) January 30, 2018
Chris Kitzan asks “Why don’t we think of businesses as partners, not just funders?” #GLAM2018
— ODWG/GTDO (@ODWG_GTDO) January 30, 2018
@GuyBerthiaume2 as our GLAM hero. Yes! #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/yG3zWxFaxD
— Kimberly Silk (@kimberlysilk) January 30, 2018
#GLAM2018 Panel III: GLAMs and the Private Sector – Examines how we can leverage community links and work with the private sector to encourage greater innovation. Speakers: Chris Kitzan, Andrea Cohen Barrack, Rupert Duchesne, @dknight52. Moderator: @vbowlestpl pic.twitter.com/okj2RqXJ1v
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
The quest is to demonstrate to government the tangible and long-term social benefits. Chris Kitzan #GLAM2018 @GuyBerthiaume2 is the Gandalf because of his network 😂 pic.twitter.com/x1LHU4Uyur
— Cédric Champagne (@CedricChampagne) January 30, 2018
“Traditional sponsorship is dead.” Corporate support now about long-term relationships and impact rather than outcomes. At @ROMtoronto, our Community Access Network aligns with this approach of long-term meaningful relationships. #GLAM2018 #ROMCAN
— Jaclyn Qua-Hiansen (@JaclynMQH) January 30, 2018
1/2 Create a “master narrative” to tell your story – and become a solution for corporations looking for partners – Douglas Knight, Chair and CEO, Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation #GLAM2018
— SOLS (@solslib) January 30, 2018
#GLAM2018 gem: “If you want money, ask for advice; if you want advice, ask for money.” – Douglas Knight #ROM @OntGenSociety pic.twitter.com/LQ3GUj96CJ
— Peter Taylor (@PeterTaylorWord) January 30, 2018
Session IV: GLAMs and Government Priorities
This session will discuss how GLAMs engage with government priorities.
- Moderator: Jessica Johnson, Executive Editor and Creative Director, The Walrus
- Angela Cassie, Vice-President, Public Affairs and Programs, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Susan Wright, Deputy Director, Toronto Arts Council
#GLAM2018 Panel IV: GLAMs and Government Priorities – Features Susan Wright, @TorontoArts, Angela Cassie, @CMHR_News. Moderator: @thegoodshopper pic.twitter.com/Tphn862RI0
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
Angela Cassie from Canadian Museum for Human Rights reminds GLAMs of our soft power: to reframe conversations/provide public space for conversations that matter to the public and therefore inform gov practice #GLAM2018 @ROMtoronto
— Brendan FR Edwards (@brendanfedwards) January 30, 2018
Angela Cassie of @CMHR_News on building relationships and working with Indigenous communities: it must be proactive, and not just in response to government priorities or mandates. #GLAM2018
— Alison (@alisondlittle) January 30, 2018
Angela Cassie calls for authentic actions towards reconciliation that grow out of organizational objectives #GLAM2018
— Hillary Walker Gugan (@HillaryWGugan) January 30, 2018
Keynote Address III: Jack Lohman
CEO, Royal BC Museum, “GLAM’s Moral Future: Making up for Lost Time”
Our closing address speaker will be Jack Lohman, CEO, Royal BC Museum. Lohman brings extensive experience working with renowned, international cultural institutions, and a wide body of knowledge on museum and archives studies. https://t.co/lYASqQPYNW #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/W5TK8vO6PT
— ODWG/GTDO (@ODWG_GTDO) December 22, 2017
The final keynote! Jack Lohman speaking of GLAM’s Moral Future #GLAM2018 pic.twitter.com/O6ouwgk77U
— Hillary Walker Gugan (@HillaryWGugan) January 30, 2018
#GLAM2018 Keynote: In an era of unprecedented change and polarizing politics, @jack_jlohman shows how politically charged our work can be, how topicality is not easy and requires nuance, and urges us to widen our view of the past as a way of opening ourselves to the world. pic.twitter.com/4sZIrKesm6
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
Jack Lohman CEO of @RoyalBCMuseum: archivists are provocateurs; frail papers are no light matter; GLAM collections are explosive #GLAM2018 @ROMtoronto
— Brendan FR Edwards (@brendanfedwards) January 30, 2018
Jack Lohman, CEO of @RoyalBCMuseum: it is a moral imperative of GLAMs’ to widen our view of the past; our future must make up for lost time and neglected stories; who tells the stories is critical #GLAM2018 @ROMtoronto
— Brendan FR Edwards (@brendanfedwards) January 30, 2018
Jack Lohman @RoyalBCMuseum mentions Transgender Archives @UVicSC @UVicLib @TransArchives as example of initiative preserving marginalized histories #GLAM2018
— Lara Wilson (@CCA_Chair) January 30, 2018
Jack Lohman, CEO of @RoyalBCMuseum characterizes GLAMs as superbly placed and ethically required to contextualize contested histories #GLAM2018 @ROMtoronto
— Brendan FR Edwards (@brendanfedwards) January 30, 2018
Closing Remarks
- Gail Lord, Co-Founder and President, Lord Cultural Resources
- Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada
- John McAvity, CEO and Executive Director, Canadian Museums Association
Closing remarks by @Gail_Lord, Co-Founder and President, @LordCultural. Great #GLAM2018 participation! pic.twitter.com/rkUC4TDxGr
— LibraryArchiveCanada (@LibraryArchives) January 30, 2018
Gail Lord summarizing the day with 4 paradoxes: facts vs myth making; acceptance of roles vs reframing of roles; physical space vs digital space; and, storytelling vs listening. #GLAM2018
— ODWG/GTDO (@ODWG_GTDO) January 30, 2018
#GLAM2018 closing remarks. pic.twitter.com/oqpRatYWSj
— Jo McCutcheon (@jomac_613) January 30, 2018
And some last words of the day:
Art is the profession of enduring rediscovery. “Sometimes it is necessary to go a long distance out of your way in order to come back a short distance correctly.” (Edward Albee) Thank you! @LibraryArchives for #GLAM2018 #ROM pic.twitter.com/O0RWW1kUvC
— Peter Taylor (@PeterTaylorWord) January 30, 2018
What a great day it has been at #GLAM2018. Great speakers and panelists have been inspiring.
— Clare Appavoo (@AppavooC) January 30, 2018
Thanks to Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Museums Association for an unforgettable day.
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