How to collect, store and curate objects in the Anthropocene? On participatory and digital collections

This workshop focuses on participatory and digital collecting practices of Anthropocenic objects. It is organised by the Museum of Natural History Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, supported by the Europeana Research Grants Programme under the 2021 Call for proposals 'Crowdsourcing and Research'.

Only a closer connection between society and research can generate the knowledge necessary to address the environmental and societal challenges of the future. Making collections that represent the Anthropocene accessible to the general public is not enough. They should also enable participation, and cultural institutions should foster exchanges between society and research around collections.

The workshop focuses on participatory and digital collecting practices of Anthropocenic objects. Based on the results of our first workshop the discussion will be centered on concrete benefits and challenges related to digital collections, crowdsourcing projects and collections using citizen science approaches. We will focus on questions such as:

How to display material and immaterial dimensions of objects and their interconnectedness?
What data standards are needed to link community-generated metadata and transdisciplinary research requirements?
What are the most problematical points of participatory collections (community management, activation, maintenance, questions of ownership/copyright)?
How can sustainable data management succeed?

The workshop is centered on the exchange of theoretical and practical perspectives and joint reflection. Invited speakers are asked to bring an object (or its digital representation) that can be described as an Anthropocenic object from their point of view. Please visit the website for more information.

This event is part of a series of workshops on 'Anthropocenic Objects. Collecting Practices for the Age of Humans', a cooperation on material culture in the Anthropocene and the changing role of museums, archives, digital and participatory collections of the Museum für Naturkunde and Europeana. It will be a digital event via Zoom for and with interdisciplinary researchers and museum professionals.

It is part of the 'Towards the Collection of the Anthropocene, Access, Innovation, Networking' project in the framework of the Future Plan and the Innovation in Public Engagement unit at the Museum of Natural History Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, funded by and in cooperation with Europeana Research Grant Programme 2021.

Speakers

Chantal Eschenfelder
Rebecca Kahn
Sarah Wagner
Frederik Berger
Katja Kaiser
Mareike Petersen
Frank Drauschke
Jana Hoffmann
Susanne Hecker
Susanne Boersma
Alicia Mansilla Sanchez
Alina Fuchte

Registration

Please register for the workshop until 09:00 on March 16th.