16 February. The CollAsia 2010 field project 'Teamwork for Sustainable Collections Care' concluded in Hanoi on 9 February 2007.

This was the first field project organized in the framework of the CollAsia 2010 programme. Its aim was to build the capacity of Southeast Asian museum professionals to conserve heritage collections. Storage concerns were taken as a practical example.
 
The project team was composed of senior staff members from ICCROM, SEAMEO-SPAFA, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden (Netherlands), the National Museum of Laos, the Department of Museums and Antiquities of Malaysia, the Hanoi University of Culturei and the University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Highlights

Module 1:  team building and project planning 
The aim of module 1 was to create the best possible conditions for participants and team members to work efficiently together. Introductory sessions on stakeholder analysis, communication, presentation and teamwork skills were held. Participants were introduced to key concepts and practiced effective communication in English.

The focus then turned to the fundamentals of project planning and collections assessment. Using the collections of the National Museum of Vietnamese History (NMVH), participants studied the type of objects present in the collections, how these collections are used, and how they relate to the space that contains them. At the end of the week participants had an understanding of how the conservation conditions of the NMVH collections could be improved.

Module 2: risk assessment and planning
Participants discussed principles of risk assessment and planning. Specific themes included documentation, handling, storage materials and planning of storage space. Practical exercises were carried out in the storage area of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. There were visits to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, House and Museum as well as the Hanoi Citadels and Royal Palaces.

Module 3: planning and implementing the Project  
Participants made a workplan of the actual improvements to be carried out in the storage area of the NMVH. They defined priorities and created a Gantt chart of proposed actions. Study visits were undertaken to Bac Ninh province and the Military History Museum.

Modules 4 and 5: field work – implementing suggested improvements 
Participants implemented the suggested improvements in accordance with the workplan made during module 3. After making all the necessary cost estimates, they divided into teams and sourced the necessary materials. They then began to implement the plan: they cleaned the storage area, prepared dust covers, made new boxes and light covers for ventilation windows, cleaned objects and installed new signs. A final report was drafted. The group presented this report to professionals from other Vietnamese heritage institutions on the occasion of an one-day seminar hosted by the Department of Cultural Heritage.

ICCROM extend its warmest thanks to its partners SEAMEO-SPAFA, the Department of Cultural Heritage of Vietnam, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Getty Foundation. We are especially grateful to all of our Vietnamese colleagues for their hospitality and assistance during the project.

Member States represented: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile, France, Laos, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

updated on: 24 November, 2007