Module 2 – Collecting and Documenting

Participative Strategies for Past and Present

Guiding questions:

• How can a museum stay current and relevant in the present?
• What is participatory collecting and documenting?
• What different forms of participatory collecting exist?
• How can we engage the public as stakeholders?
• What should be collected, and why?
• How can intangible heritage be collected and documented?

Museums traditionally collect and represent the past, but how can they remain relevant to today’s societies? This module introduces the four stages of participatory museum work as defined by Nina Simon: contributory, collaborative, co-creative and hosted. This typology helps participants understand, differentiate and implement various forms of participatory museum work.

The idea is that accessibility and active participation from diverse audiences across all areas of museum work lead to a better understanding of how museums function while also  providing space for communities to introduce and represent their own issues. This fosters a sense of ownership among visitors and supports the feeling of having made a long-lasting investment in the museum.

Taking participation seriously challenges the traditional notion that museum work is solely conducted by experts. Instead, it promotes the concept of the professional as a facilitator, prioritizing the process over the final product. This shift may also redefine who holds  curatorial authority and what form a museum should take— whether as a meeting and communication space or as a shrine for the preservation and research.