CIDOC Section

What is a museum impossible without? What makes objects and collections acquire a true museum status? What provides a greater level of trust in museum (published by a museum) information?

The answer is documentation!

Documenting various information at every step of working with an object (description, accounting, scientific study, restoration, preservation, exhibition, etc.) is one of the basic, integral components of the daily work of a modern museum.

What should be the effective processes and forms of documenting museum objects. How to ensure the most effective work with data? What standards and best practices should be followed to enable the multiplication and the most open, versatile use of data and knowledge banks formed by museum institutions?

These are the issues that are in the focus of attention of specialists at CIDOC ICOM - the International Documentation Committee of the International Council of Museums.

On the basis of or with the participation of partners, CIDOC develops and promotes museum documentation standards, unified metadata schemes for information exchange, common specialized terminology, etc. Given the development of information technologies, the committee is also a leading platform for discussing current issues of digitalization of museum work, cooperation in the development of standards and tools for working with digital data. In particular, working groups on the development of the basic conceptual model CIDOC CRM and the XML-schema LIDO, on the formation of a digital strategy and preservation of digital materials, on the problems of co-referencing, the development of semantic research environments, the dissemination of information, etc. are working on the basis of CIDOC.

The main goal of establishing a CIDOC center in Ukraine is the integration of Ukrainian specialists into this international network. We strive to develop systematic and regular work to inform Ukrainian museum workers about modern standards and tools for working with data, to establish and coordinate joint work on the popularization and implementation of CIDOC documents, and to promote communication and cooperation with foreign colleagues.

The establishment of the CIDOC section within the Ukrainian National Committee of ICOM is a logical continuation of previous projects implemented by the Ukrainian Center for the Development of Museums (institutional member of ICOM since 2009) with the support of various donors (ICF "Ukraine 3000", International Foundation "Renaissance", Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, Culture Bridges Program, etc.), the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Ukrainian and foreign partner museums.

In particular, in different years, work has already begun on the translation and implementation in Ukraine of individual documents on the topic, a national metadata scheme has been developed for the exchange of information about museum objects, the creation and publication of specialized electronic thesauri, trainings, publication of professional literature, etc. (digilab.promuseum.org).

We hope that the systematization and unification of these separate initiatives on the basis of the CIDOC section of the national Ukrainian committee of ICOM - ICOM Ukraine - will become a powerful impetus for the continuation of the work begun, will contribute to the joining of new specialists to our circle of like-minded people and the formation of a powerful network.

The start of the CIDOC Ukraine branch and the first steps of its work were made possible thanks to the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation