Invitation and call for papers
Many museums of cultural and social history around the world are engaged in contemporary issues and devote part of their research and collecting to the society of today.

Despite this, there is no international forum for dialogue and collaboration on collecting issues.

The aim of the conference Connecting Collecting is to be the starting point of such a forum. This year, Samdok – the Swedish cultural history museum network for contemporary studies and collecting – has
been in operation for thirty years, and the conference will therefore also be Samdok’s jubilee event.

We invite museum professionals and scholars to…
… discuss and share experiences on collecting in contemporary society.
… discuss and share experiences of contemporary use of collections acquired in earlier scientific, ideological and political contexts.
… discuss, and hopefully agree on, establishing an international museum Collecting Network, which may develop into a new international ICOM committee. Objectives and scopes, initial planning.

We welcome contributions on the meanings and implications of the museum’s mission to collect, strategies concerning the creation of cultural heritage embracing both material and immaterial aspects of human life, collecting in a global context, collecting policies put into practice, ethical considerations and outreach work, the role of collecting in museum work in general and other themes of general relevance.

Invited Keynote Speakers

Elizabeth Merritt
Director, Museum Advancement & Excellence, American Association of Museums

Te Taru White
Kaihautu, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Ciraj Rassool
Professor, Department of History, University of Western Cape, South Africa

General information
The conference will comprise keynote speakers, papers and discussions in plenary sessions. An on-line conference publication will be compiled, with papers and summaries of discussions.

Number of participants: Maximum 150, of whom we expect at least half the number from countries outside Sweden.
Conference language: English
Registration: preliminary 31 May, binding 15 September by enclosed registration form to Eva Fagerborg
Conference fee: 500 SEK (VAT included), to be paid by 15 September to:
IBAN: SE52 5000 0000 0522 1100 2536
BIC: ESSESESS
Name and address of bank:
SEB, KB1, SE-106 40 Stockholm, Sweden
State reference: 3111-169
(Svenska deltagare: BG 5822-7505 eller PG 48705-8, referens 3111-169)
Travel and accommodation: For booking assistance you can contact SN Resor. Further information:SN Resor

Preliminary programme
Thursday 15 November

11.00-12.30 Registration
13.00 Opening and welcome addresses
13.20 The Swedish Samdok network – presentations and discussion
14.30 Coffee
15.00 Keynote speaker and papers
17.15 Presentations of two new exhibitions in the Nordiska Museet: on the Sami people and on the museum’s collecting since the late 19th century.
19.00 Reception and buffet in Stockholm City Hall

Friday 16 November
09.00 Morning mingle and coffee
10.00 Keynote speaker and papers
12.00 Lunch in the museum restaurant
13.00 Keynote speaker and papers
14.30 Coffee
15.00-16.00 Concluding discussions – forming of an international Collecting Network

Call for papers
If you would like to give a talk or presentation (full length 20 min, short paper 10 min), please notify us by 30 April and submit an abstract of maximum 500 words by 31 May, to Eva Fagerborg.

Authors will be notified of acceptance by 20 June. Priority will be given to papers by participants from countries outside Sweden.

Information
For further information, please contact Eva Fägerborg, Samdok Secretariat, Nordiska Museet; eva.fagerborg@nordiskamuseet.se. www.nordiskamuseet.se

The conference is endorsed by ICOM-Sweden