Page 300 of 485
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Computerization of museum collections
13
To begin with, I would like to take the proposal of the computerization of museum collections as an example. This proposal has been discussed for some years, but up till now, it has not yet materialized. At present, registration of museum collections is still done manually. The progress is slow and inefficient and the searching of materials time-consuming and sometimes futile. I understand that a full-scale stock-taking of all items will require at least three years to complete. Such inefficiency is apparently unacceptable. I believe the Department and the Councillors share a common interest in that we all hope to properly register the 12,000 or more items we possess, and that the process be computerized so as to speed up registration and shorten the time of searching information. Besides, computerization can show which direction the Council's strategy in art collection should go. With computerization, we can collate all data on our collections, and find out very quickly whether we lack the works of a certain famous artist or of a certain period. Thus, with the help of modern technology the Council can revise its collection strategy appropriately and avoid wasting resources and money.
But why is the progress of computerization so slow? Personally, I think it is mainly the strong bureaucratism existing in the Department which impedes matters to be handled with flexibility. As the Department knew long ago that we lacked expertise in the field of computers, why didn't it work out a solution well in advance instead of allowing the matter to drag on? I hope that the Council will 'contract out' the task of computerization to the relevant companies as soon as possible so that the management of museums can become more cost effective and that we do not have to use 'Stone Age' methods while living in the age of computers. If we continue to use manual methods to manage our museums, in a few years' time we will be the exhibits on display in the museums instead of our collections.
Use of museum venues
At present, the Urban Council has a Visual Arts Centre with a workshop for visual artists so that they can create works there. This is in fact something we should be glad of and support because it realises the government's policy of respecting art creation. But unfortunately, the implementation of this policy has the problem of "too much control and too rigid restrictions". As a result, the utilization rate of the venue is low, causing wastage of resources. At present, the Centre requires that artists who wish to use the facilities to go through a vetting process. Personally, I think this requirement is the major factor which deters people from using the workshop. In the first place, famous artists all have their own workshops, and so they need not use the facilities at the Centre. As for the novice artists, they may not be able to gain access to the workshop because of the vetting system. Therefore, this policy has in effect stifled the development of contemporary arts. This is a problem for us to think about. Another point is that, since the venue is meant for public use, we should try to provide them with every possible convenience. We have to understand the needs of the users and the difficulties they encounter before we can improve the facilities of the venue. Some users have indicated that the
Page 300 of 485
Page 300 of 485
Page 300 Page 301
Page 300 of 485
Page 300 of 485
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Computerization of museum collections
13
To begin with, I would like to take the proposal of the computerization of museum collections as an example. This proposal has been discussed for some years, but up till now, it has not yet materialized. At present, registration of museum collections is still done manually. The progress is slow and inefficient and the searching of materials time-consuming and sometimes futile. I understand that a full-scale stock-taking of all items will require at least three years to complete. Such inefficiency is apparently unacceptable. I believe the Department and the Councillors share a common interest in that we all hope to properly register the 12,000 or more items we possess, and that the process be computerized so as to speed up registration and shorten the time of searching information. Besides, computerization can show which direction the Council's strategy in art collection should go. With computerization, we can collate all data on our collections, and find out very quickly whether we lack the works of a certain famous artist or of a certain period. Thus, with the help of modern technology the Council can revise its collection strategy appropriately and avoid wasting resources and money.
But why is the progress of computerization so slow? Personally, I think it is mainly the strong bureaucratism existing in the Department which impedes matters to be handled with flexibility. As the Department knew long ago that we lacked expertise in the field of computers, why didn't it work out a solution well in advance instead of allowing the matter to drag on? I hope that the Council will 'contract out' the task of computerization to the relevant companies as soon as possible so that the management of museums can become more cost effective and that we do not have to use 'Stone Age' methods while living in the age of computers. If we continue to use manual methods to manage our museums, in a few years' time we will be the exhibits on display in the museums instead of our collections.
Use of museum venues
At present, the Urban Council has a Visual Arts Centre with a workshop for visual artists so that they can create works there. This is in fact something we should be glad of and support because it realises the government's policy of respecting art creation. But unfortunately, the implementation of this policy has the problem of *100 much control and too rigid restrictions”. As a result, the utilization rate of the venue is low, causing wastage of resources. At present, the Centre requires that artists who wish to use the facilities to go through a vetting process. Personally, I think this requirement is the major factor which deters people from using the workshop. In the first place, famous artists all have their own workshops, and so they need not use the facilities at the Centre. As for the novice artists, they may not be able to gain access to the workshop because of the vetting system. Therefore, this policy has in effect stifled the development of contemporary arts. This is a problem for us to think about. Another point is that, since the venue is meant for public use, we should try to provide them with every possible convenience. We have to understand the needs of the users and the difficulties they encounter before we can improve the facilities of the venue. Some users have indicated that the
Page 300 of 485
Page 300 of 485
Page 300Page 301
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