NEMO Working Group got first-hand insights into Finnish digitalisation legislations and processes

From 15-16 June 2022, 5 members of the NEMO Working Group Digitalisation and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) met in Helsinki, Finland. The session was hosted by the Finnish Heritage Agency and led by working group leader Sylvia Willkomm from the German Museums Association.

Participants shared updates about ongoing initiatives and priorities for the museum sector in their respective region. Representatives from Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Hungary and Norway contributed to a comprehensive European update.

Following an update round about the working group’s upcoming publication about basic digital cataloguing, the legal advisor Roni Iilomo gave a presentation about the Finish Heritage Agency and the Directive of the Digital Single Market (DSMD). He detailed how legislation processes in Finland were moderated and managed by the Ministry, about the challenges to include the needs of different stakeholders and where Finland stands now. Next, Hannu-Pekka Polttila, Director of the department Archives and Information Services, gave a short presentation about the organisational structures and working procedures of the Finnish Heritage Agency. Polttila also initiated a general discussion about digitalisation in museums and its challenges.

The following day the Working Group visited the Collection and Conversation Centre of the Finnish Heritage Agency in Vantaa. The centre has over 20 000 m² collection storages and conservation space. It includes amongst others the JOKA Press Photo Archive of the Picture Collections with over 15 million images.

The final discussion collected topics of interest among the participants, which will form the strategic focus of the working group in the next 2 years. The working group aims to widen its focus towards the connection between digitalisation in museums and audiences by focusing on sub-topics such as new technologies, the relationship between analogue and digital, measurement of impact and digital leadership. The future focus will be discussed at the next working group meeting at NEMO’s European Museum Conference on 11 October in Loulé, Portugal.

The end of the meeting was followed by an intimate tour through the National Museum in Helsinki.

NEMO’s Working Groups provide an opportunity for members of NEMO to get connected, learn and share experiences through organised study visits and events. The groups also inform the wider museum sector by publishing studies, recommendations and reports. At the moment NEMO has three active Working Groups:

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