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Sharing ideas about sharing knowledge
This is an edited post by from a London Museum Group Blog by blogger-in-residence Julie Reynolds
How can museums of all shapes and sizes share knowledge to enhance specialist skills?
Let’s look at the Natural History Museum (NHM) and the Hunterian Museum, and a skill sharing scheme they created.
It started with a conversation. Louise Tomsett, a curator in the zoology department at the NHM, and Milly Farrell, a curator at the Hunterian, developed a scheme that grew from informal conversations to a concrete, one-day-a-week swap shop.
Milly and Louise are still sharing knowledge and making invaluable reflection time, and it is interesting to see that they have a continued commitment to the project. The joy of skill sharing is that staff are not lost – instead new colleagues and expertise are introduced into an organisation regardless of its size.
How can museums of all shapes and sizes share knowledge to enhance specialist skills?
Let’s look at the Natural History Museum (NHM) and the Hunterian Museum, and a skill sharing scheme they created.
It started with a conversation. Louise Tomsett, a curator in the zoology department at the NHM, and Milly Farrell, a curator at the Hunterian, developed a scheme that grew from informal conversations to a concrete, one-day-a-week swap shop.
Milly and Louise are still sharing knowledge and making invaluable reflection time, and it is interesting to see that they have a continued commitment to the project. The joy of skill sharing is that staff are not lost – instead new colleagues and expertise are introduced into an organisation regardless of its size.