3:00 PM - 3:15 PM
[MIS23-04] Role of museums and education centers in geoparks.
Keywords:geopark, museum, lifelong education, earth science educaion, management
Geoparks are expected as a place of the earth science education. They are propelled as lifelong educational programs by the museums. I arrange the role of museums in Japanese geoparks and some Europe geoparks and examine the role of museums in the future.
Ito (1991) reviewed the change of museums and divided the museums of Japan to following three generations.
The first generation: The classic museum which preserve treasures with the scarcity value including a national treasure and the natural monument
The second generation: The museums which collect various materials and carry out the exhibition and education
The third generation: The museums which found a necessary document based on a social request and assume the civic participation and experience the axis of the administration.
Recently, activities of the museums are diversified. Museums do not only provide the exhibition and learning programs one-sidedly, but are used by a citizen spontaneously as place for scientific exchange. In addition, museum goes to each place and develops their educational programs with local people. Furthermore, they take a role as the think tank about protection, conservation and utilization of natural environments. The eco-museum is developed in each place, too.
A museum and learning facilities participate in the activity of the geopark more or less. It is written in guideline on Global Geopark Network that 'A Geopark must provide and organize support, tools, and activities to communicate geoscientific knowledge and environmental and cultural concepts to the public (e.g. through museums, interpretive and educational centres, trails, guided tours, popular literature and maps, and modern communication media)' This sentence shows that they expect mainly an offer of the exhibition and learning program. In addition, on the homepage of the UNESCO, it is stated that 'A Global Geopark is not a museum, it is an active laboratory where people can become engaged in
science from the highest academic research level to the level of the curious visitor'.(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/earth-sciences/global-geoparks/some-questions-about-geoparks/geopark-and/science/). This context shows an impression that the museum is a place to appreciate the display calmly.
Their museum image is similar to the museum of the first or second generation by Ito(1991).
Most of the museum and learning facilities have geopark corner in an exhibition room but there are few examples that a museum is active positively in Japanese geoparks. Some museums are in the members of the promotion council of the geopark and support it from a scientific aspect and an aspect of the education. However, there are few museum developing outreach programs in many place in the geopark.
Museum and organization of Lesbos Geopark and Psiloritis Geoparks in Greece are investigated. The museum and the university conclude an agreement with administration and local groups in each geopark and play a central part in management organization of geopark. It is different from position of the museums in most of Japanese geoparks, that the museums lead the geopark centrally.
Some European Geoparks have educational program called "RACCE (Raising earthquake Awareness and Coping Children's Emotions)" which is consist of common teaching materials and display in the museum on the earthquake. Existence of museum may have made RACCE easy to establish. There will be many points that Japanese geoparks should refer to them.
It is difficult to establish the large-scale museum with curators in all Japanese geoparks in actually. Cooperation between small educational facilities and concept of eco-museum worth considering as an alternative, but it is important to play a central role in the management organization.
Ito (1991) reviewed the change of museums and divided the museums of Japan to following three generations.
The first generation: The classic museum which preserve treasures with the scarcity value including a national treasure and the natural monument
The second generation: The museums which collect various materials and carry out the exhibition and education
The third generation: The museums which found a necessary document based on a social request and assume the civic participation and experience the axis of the administration.
Recently, activities of the museums are diversified. Museums do not only provide the exhibition and learning programs one-sidedly, but are used by a citizen spontaneously as place for scientific exchange. In addition, museum goes to each place and develops their educational programs with local people. Furthermore, they take a role as the think tank about protection, conservation and utilization of natural environments. The eco-museum is developed in each place, too.
A museum and learning facilities participate in the activity of the geopark more or less. It is written in guideline on Global Geopark Network that 'A Geopark must provide and organize support, tools, and activities to communicate geoscientific knowledge and environmental and cultural concepts to the public (e.g. through museums, interpretive and educational centres, trails, guided tours, popular literature and maps, and modern communication media)' This sentence shows that they expect mainly an offer of the exhibition and learning program. In addition, on the homepage of the UNESCO, it is stated that 'A Global Geopark is not a museum, it is an active laboratory where people can become engaged in
science from the highest academic research level to the level of the curious visitor'.(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/earth-sciences/global-geoparks/some-questions-about-geoparks/geopark-and/science/). This context shows an impression that the museum is a place to appreciate the display calmly.
Their museum image is similar to the museum of the first or second generation by Ito(1991).
Most of the museum and learning facilities have geopark corner in an exhibition room but there are few examples that a museum is active positively in Japanese geoparks. Some museums are in the members of the promotion council of the geopark and support it from a scientific aspect and an aspect of the education. However, there are few museum developing outreach programs in many place in the geopark.
Museum and organization of Lesbos Geopark and Psiloritis Geoparks in Greece are investigated. The museum and the university conclude an agreement with administration and local groups in each geopark and play a central part in management organization of geopark. It is different from position of the museums in most of Japanese geoparks, that the museums lead the geopark centrally.
Some European Geoparks have educational program called "RACCE (Raising earthquake Awareness and Coping Children's Emotions)" which is consist of common teaching materials and display in the museum on the earthquake. Existence of museum may have made RACCE easy to establish. There will be many points that Japanese geoparks should refer to them.
It is difficult to establish the large-scale museum with curators in all Japanese geoparks in actually. Cooperation between small educational facilities and concept of eco-museum worth considering as an alternative, but it is important to play a central role in the management organization.