Association of Nova Scotia Museums
Unlocking Community Museum Collections
This year ANSM has received a federal grant to develop a digitization strategy for cultural collections. Many community museums in Nova Scotia contain artifacts associated with Nova Scotia’s four founding cultures: Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotians, Acadians, and Gaels. The management of these artifacts most often follows historical (colonial) methods and as a result disassociates these artifacts from their cultural context. This project will develop a digitization strategy for cultural artifacts with improved and culturally appropriate information on CollectiveAccess, the open-source database used by ANSM’s Advisory Service members, as well as 100+ museums across Canada. This digitization strategy will eventually lead to these artifacts becoming accessible on NovaMuse.ca, ANSM’s collections portal, which will increase cultural groups’ access to these collections. They will also be uploaded to Artefacts Canada.
Developing the digitization strategy will include an assessment of cultural collections in ANSM Advisory Service member museums. ANSM will consult with leaders and key organizations from each community group as well as hold 9 consultation sessions. These sessions will happen around the province, in areas appropriate to the different cultural groups, and will bring together both the museums and community members to talk about museum collections; how to improve info in the records as well as access to them, identify priority items and stories, and build and improve relationships between community museums and cultural communities. The results of these consultation sessions, along with research, will be used to form the digitization strategy and updates to CollectiveAccess that will more easily allow artifacts to include culturally appropriate information.
Acadian Community Sessions
Location Date Time Venue
Pubnico, NS July 12, 2022 1:00-3:00 pm Musee Acadiens des Pubnicos
Chéticamp, NS October 14, 2022 2:00-4:00 pm La Salle des Aînés
African Nova Scotian Community Sessions
Location Date Time Venue
Digby, NS July 11, 2022 1:00-3:00 pm NSCC (Learning Commons)
Cherry Brook, NS August 4, 2022 6:00-8:00 pm Black Cultural Centre
Amherst, NS November 17, 2022 Four Founders Library
Gaelic Community Sessions
Location Date Time Venue
Iona, NS July 27, 2022 2:00-4:00 pm Highland Village
Antigonish, NS August 22, 2022 1:00-3:00 pm Hall of the Clans, Angus L Macdonald Library
Mi’kmaq Community Sessions
Location Date Time Venue
Membertou, NS July 26, 2022 2:00-4:00 pm Membertou Heritage Park
Millbrook, NS August 3, 2022 10:00-12:00 pm Millbrook Heritage Centre
Halifax, NS Sept 6, 2022 9:00-12:00 pm Mi’kmaq Friendship Centre
Venue capacities are limited and light refreshments will be served. For this reason we ask community members and heritage organizations to register. Please contact us at services@ansm.ns.ca if you have any questions.
Unlocking Community Museum Collections: Orientation Session
All ANSM members are invited to register for an orientation session on June 28th at 10am to learn more about this project and how you can get involved. Please note that a link to the virtual session will appear on your screen as part of your registration confirmation message.
A recording of the Orientation session is now available online.
