Today the Solomon Islands National Museum becomes one of the first cultural heritage institutions in the region to have an openly accessible catalogue of collections on a publicly viewable website.
…said the British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Nauru, His Excellency Thomas Coward at the launch of the first virtual museum for Solomon Islands last week.
Researchers, teachers, students, academia and those interested in knowing their cultural heritage will for the first time have access to National Museum collections online.
Launched at the National Museum Auditorium, the virtual museum culminated from discussions and partnership between the British High Commission, Australian High Commission, Solomon Islands National Museum, the National Library of New Zealand and National Library of Australia through the Australian Government-funded Digital Pasifik project.
Thanks to Tim Kong and the Digital Pasifik project team, the National Museum now has a website through which it can make its collection available to the world. The site will now be led, delivered, owned and sustained by the National Museum.
The country’s National Museum is looking forward to setting up a modernized museum that everyone can have access to in the future. With the virtual launch, its collections can now be viewed online.
Permanent Secretary of the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Bunyan Sivoro said:
Despite challenges faced by the National Museum, today we are taking an innovative step forward. The launch of the Virtual Museum is not only a response to the limitations we face but also a vision for the future. It is a timely and necessary solution that allows us to begin sharing the treasures of our national collection with the world in a way that transcends physical boundaries.
British High Commission to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Thomas Coward said:
Over the last 12 months these ideas came together, with huge amount of effort from a range of people. The Digital Pasifik team engaged by the Australian Government and led by Tim Kong, supported the idea from the start. Their enthusiasm and funding allowed the fantastic teams from the National Library of New Zealand and National Library of Australia to provide the technical knowledge and support that was needed. Deputy Director Kiko and the Solomon Islands National Museum team then worked together with their support to build up this platform.
Acting Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Andrew Schloeffel said:
Solomon Islands has a rich and vibrant history, and the importance of capturing and sharing this history for current and future generations cannot be overstated. I am proud of the work Australia has done to support this initiative through our Digital Pasifik project, alongside the Solomon Islands National Museum and the British High Commission. Digital Pasifik aims to empower people in and of the Pacific Islands, by building digital platforms that enable them to see, discover and explore items of digitised cultural heritage that are held in collections around the world.
Director of the Solomon Islands National Museum, Tony Heorake said:
While the launch was a celebration of the Museum’s latest innovation, it presents a breakthrough in the use of technology to provide quality and accessible museum services to the public, students and visitors.
Today is a celebration of hard work and relentless pursuit of excellence. Our team led by His Excellency Thomas Coward is very proud and excited to finally share it with you. This endeavour exemplifies our commitment to delivering the best museum services to our visitors, students and the public while staying relevant in the museum space.