MDG. The Transformation of the National History Museum in Albania Recommendations and Proposed Next Steps by the Advisory Board.

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2 MDG United Nations ALBANIA The Transformation of the National History Museum in Albania Recommendations and Proposed Next Steps by the Advisory Board Tirana, March 2010

3 Endorsed by the Advisory Board for the National History Museum Director of Publication: Engelbert Ruoss Editorial Board: Lauren Bohatka, Zhulieta Harasani, Wally Merotto, Siniša Šešum Main contributor: Katerina Nikolaidou Other contributors: Carlo Benedetti, Lauren Bohatka, Dasara Dizdari, Damir Dijakovic, Stephan Doempke, Zhulieta Harasani, Entela Lako, Wally Merotto, Iris Pojani, Engelbert Ruoss, Siniša Šešum, Norimasa Shimomura English language revision by: Lauren Bohatka This document is also available online at: This document was elaborated by UNESCO Venice Office within the framework of the joint programme, Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development, implemented jointly by UNESCO and UNDP, and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Albania. Under the overall supervision of the UN Resident Coordinator, Gülden Türköz-Cosslett, the joint programme is financed by the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, represented by H.E. Manuel Montobbio, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Achievement Fund. The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this publication and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the UNESCO Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of their authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries. Requests for permission to reproduce all or parts of this document must be directed in writing to: UNESCO Venice Office Attn: Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Unit Palazzo Zorzi Castello 4930 Venice, Italy Published in Tirana, Albania 2010

4 The Transformation of the National History Museum in Albania Recommendations and Proposed Next Steps by the Advisory Board

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6 Table of Contents Background Information...7 Establishment of International Scientific Advisory Board (AB) for NHM...8 Documentation and Reporting...10 Recommendations of the Advisory Board...12 List of recommendations...12 Further discussion on the refurbishment of the entrance hall...15 Further discussion on collections management...15 Refurbishment of exhibition...16 Restructuring management and enhancing the capacities of human resources...18 Starting a communication and fund-raising plan...21 Development of NHM policies...22 Annex: Approved minutes and recommendations of the Advisory Board meetings...23 Minutes of the 1 st Advisory Board session, 03 July Summary note by the chair of the first meeting of the Advisory Board, 03 July Minutes of the 2 nd Advisory Board session, September Conclusions and Recommendations of the 2 nd session of the Advisory Board, September Minutes of the 3 rd Advisory Board session, November Ad-hoc Conclusions and Recommendations based on the Asbestos and Seismic/Structural assessments, February

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8 Background Information 7 Background Information Albania has been described as the last secret of Europe. Almost unknown internationally, its rich and diverse cultural heritage is undervalued within the country, much of it having been suppressed or neglected during the long years of isolation. Today s reality is very different: two current, and three potential, UNESCO World Heritage Sites are complemented by extremely valuable intangible cultural heritage, which testify to the meeting of different peoples and civilizations, and a history of harmonious coexistence over nearly three millennia. This peaceful multicultural coexistence presents Albania with a unique opportunity: to utilize its culture as an instrument in shaping its new national identity, as its government, economy and people move away from isolation to a greater participation on the world s stage. This identity is central to social and economic renewal and growth, both at home and abroad. As the image of Albania returns to a more stable and positive one, Albania s diverse heritage can be exploited for not just social and economic development, but for human development as well. However, fundamental changes still need to occur at all levels of government and society for Albania s new national identity to be recognized as interrelated with culture. Most importantly, there is a lack of awareness of how culture can be used as a tool for sustainable development, and conversely, how such development can be used as a catalyst for culture. The Joint Programme Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development (CHSED) was primarily designed to achieve outcomes derived from the national priorities of Albania that are consistent with the Millennium Development Goals and the One UN programme, approved by the Albanian Government in October Sectoral priorities for culture and culture-related issues in Albania focus predominantly on rehabilitating cultural monuments, with a secondary priority for leveraging Albania s culture as a tourist attraction. Joint programme outcomes were designed to expand these two concerns to meet wider development objectives. As the lead agency in charge of culture in Albania, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports is the primary implementing partner for this joint programme of activities between UNDP and UNESCO. Other national government bodies, such as the Prime Minister s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Institute of Cultural Monuments and the National Tourism Organization, are involved as implementing partners. Other actors, such as civil society organizations, universities, municipalities and the private sector, also contribute towards the achievement of these joint programme outcomes. The Joint Programme was built upon five achievable results, and based on national, sub-national and sectoral priorities for culture and development: Achieve a transparent and accountable government, developing and implementing effective national policies on culture and cultural-related issues Create an enabling environment to ensure people s access to cultural heritage and participation in cultural heritage decision-making at the local, regional and national levels Increase capacities to manage, preserve and present cultural heritage and cultural industries in an efficient, transparent, accountable and equitable manner Assure an increased role of cultural heritage in social and economic opportunities and in engaging community participation in regional and local development strategies Promote an increased awareness of Albania s cultural heritage internationally as a means to promote cultural understanding and religious tolerance

9 8 The flagship activity for the CHSED Joint Programme will be the transformation of the National History Museum in Tirana into a modern cultural institution. One key activity to this is to: Establish a management and governance structure for a world-class National History Museum (Activity 2.1.1). In order to accelerate progress on these two activities, the Joint Programme has established an international Advisory Board to lead the visioning and planning processes on the National History Museum with the support of an international museum expert, who would provide documentation and elaborate reports on the major issues surrounding the NHM to further the discussions and decisions of the Advisory Board. The Joint Programme Management Team has also contributed its support to these vital processes. This final report, prepared by the museum expert, will summarize and elaborate on the major findings and recommendations of the Advisory Board, for use as a final decision-making tool by the Government of Albania and the UN Agencies that are substantially and financially accountable for the implementation of the activities in the CHSED Joint Programme. Establishment of International Scientific Advisory Board (AB) for NHM Within the framework of the UN Joint Programme Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development, implemented by UNESCO and UNDP, under the authority of UNESCO, an International Scientific Advisory Board of the National History Museum of Tirana (NHM) was established for an initial period of 18 months starting from the date of its first meeting (03 July 2009). The rights and responsibilities of any other bodies or commissions duly established under Albanian Law have remained unaffected. The tasks of the Scientific Advisory Board are: 1. To develop a new concept for the National History Museum of Tirana, taking into consideration the wider system of museums in Tirana and Albania; 2. To propose a comprehensive system of governance, management and financing for the NHM; 3. To propose a detailed room plan for the museum building, atrium and immediate vicinity; 4. To propose changes in the interior architecture and design of the NHM; 5. To propose acquisitions of equipment to be made for conservation, presentation, management, safety and security of the objects and exhibitions of the NHM; 6. To propose facilities, services, programmes, equipment and technology for visitor services in the NHM; 7. To make any other recommendations or to provide advice related to the long-term development of the NHM. The Advisory Board, while acting independently, has completed its tasks in consultation with the Scientific Council of the NHM and the Albanian National Commission for Museums. In its capacity, the Advisory Board shall: Set up a time and work plan for the completion of its tasks Define the criteria for any designs to be conducted Approve the specifications with a view to calling for tenders May be requested to take part in the evaluation of the submitted proposals and offers Assist with the monitoring of the works Approve of the works completed under its mandate.

10 Background Information 9 The Board is composed of 7 members serving in their personal capacity, five of them international experts and two of them Albanian experts, one ex officio representative of UNESCO Office in Venice, and one ex officio representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. The members of the Board are appointed jointly by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Albania and the Director of UNESCO Office in Venice, after consultation with the national authorities. The term of office of the members is eighteen months, and subject to extension or renewal. The members of the Board are chosen for their competence in the fields of museology, museum management, history, archaeology, ethnography, museum architecture, engineering, museum didactics or heritage conservation management. The Chairman of the Board, or a majority of its members, may invite observers to attend a session of the Board, whenever he/they deem necessary. The members of the Advisory Board are: Mr. Julien Anfruns, Director General of ICOM, Paris, France Mr. Fiorenzo Galli, Director General, Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Technologia, Milano, Italy Mr. Ulrike Kretzschmar, Director of Exhibition Department, German Historical Museum (GHM), Berlin Mr. Ilber Ortayli, President of the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey Mr. Josef Ramoneda, Director of the Centre of Contemporary Culture, Barcelona, Spain Mr. Luan Malltezi, Historian at the Centre of Albanology Studies, Tirana, Albania 1 Mr. Ilirian Gjipali, Head of ICOM, Tirana, Albania Mr. Engelbert Ruoss, UNESCO representative (Ex officio) Mr.Ols Lafe, MCTYS representative (Ex officio) Suggestions and recommendations of the Board on the preparation of activities require a majority vote of present members. Decision and final approval will require the majority vote of all members of the Board. The required quorum for the holding of a session is 4 voting members. The Board will convene in ordinary session every four months. Extraordinary sessions will be organized if required by the chairman or a majority of the members of the Board. The request for an extraordinary session has to be made to the Secretariat, which has to follow the request. The Secretariat shall set dates of the session in consultation with the members of the board. Invitations to the sessions must be sent by the Secretariat in writing ( or regular mail) no less than six weeks before the first day of the session. The Advisory Board may also convene and take decisions through telephone or video conferences. Regulations concerning the dates and invitations are the same as for physical meetings. The Secretariat of the Board is ensured by the UNESCO Office in Venice in cooperation with the Coordinator of the UN Joint Programme. The Board adopts its Rules of Procedure by a majority vote of at least five members, and any amendment or modification to these rules must be adopted under the same conditions. The working language of the Advisory Board is English. Upon taking up their duties and for the duration of their term of office, the members of the Advisory Board may not be personally involved in expert evaluations or the submission of tenders and applications related to the projects for the reconfiguration of the National History Museum. They may not issue any statement or press release without the prior authorization of the Chairman of the Board and shall be subject to the obligations of reserve incumbent on them by reason of their functions. Between sessions of the Advisory Board, ad-hoc groups and individual missions of the Members of the Advisory Board can be established at the request of the Chairman in order to respond to emergency or specific needs of the project. These groups and members on mission must submit written reports to UNESCO, with a copy to the Chairman of the Board no later than two weeks before the regular sessions. 1 As Mr. Luan Malltezi was appointed to be the new Director of the NHM in November 2009, Mrs. Valentina Duka, Historian, has replaced him in his capacities on the Advisory Board.

11 10 During their terms of office, the members of the Advisory Board will not receive any fees or other financial benefit from the Programme. During ordinary and extraordinary sessions of the board, or ad hoc missions of individual members, only for those coming outside of Tirana, UNESCO will cover the cost of DSA (Daily Subsistence Allowance) and pre-paid round plane tickets according to UNESCO rules and regulations for official travels on mission. Documentation and Reporting From June to December 2009, several reports on the reorganization of the National History Museum in Tirana, Albania were commissioned by UNESCO Venice Office in the context of the MDG-F UN Joint Programme Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development. These reports address the Joint Programme s flagship activity in Albania to transform the National History Museum in Tirana into a modern cultural institution. The work undertaken so far for achieving the abovementioned goal was related to acquiring a full picture of the existing situation, identifying the most important needs and gaps, and providing concrete suggestions for improvement. All of this information was then presented to the Advisory Board for this activity, to further their discussions and recommendations to the Government of Albania. Five reports have resulted from this endeavor: 1. Background Study on the National History Museum in Tirana, Albania 2. Needs Assessment on the National History Musem in Tirana, Albania 3. Suggestion on a New Governance and Management Structure for the National History Museum of Albania 4. Concept framework suggestion for the reorganization of the NHM 5. The Transformation of the National History Museum: Recommendations and Proposed Next Steps of the Advisory Board (this report) The Background Study was prepared by a locallybased UNESCO Consultant, which presented the legal and operational status of the museum, and enabled the identification and assessment of needs for improvement. The Needs Assessment aimed in identifying the particular areas in which the activity of NHM should be redefined or expanded, according to international museum standards and best practices. It was assessed that such areas of activity were museum management (financial and human resources management, including a redefinition of the museum s mission), collection management in a wide sense of the term (including security, conservation, documentation), the museum s public-oriented activities (exhibitions, education, events), visitor services (café, shop). Some priorities were set for restructuring, as short-, mid- and long-term goals, taking into consideration not only urgency, but also feasibility. In relation to the lack of visitors surveys identified in the Needs Assessment, a questionnaire was prepared by UNESCO staff and was distributed to NHM visitors. The aim of the survey was to contribute to the identification of target groups among visitors, and opinion-polling for the NHM permanent exhibition, institutional image and activities. The data has not been statistically elaborated and interpreted to date, but it is estimated that this will be a valuable tool for audience development and for restructuring the museum s overall concept. A prioritization of areas of action derived from the Needs Assessment, namely conservation, security and exhibition, and the outlines of three respective operational plans were submitted for future reference,

12 Background Information 11 in the development of full operational plans. The report on Governance and Management focused on suggestions for alteration of the Statutes of the National History Museum, which would enable the museum to expand its vision, engage the public further in its activities, enhance its public accountability and find a more functional and effective method of managing its existing and potential human and financial resources. In addition to its recommendations on NHM Governance and Management, the Advisory Board of the National History Museum submitted recommendations to MoTCYS for adjusting the legal provisions in ways which would enable the suggestions on governance and management to be implemented. Suggestions were also submitted as regards the museum s overall concept. The reorganization of the NHM institutional concept covers many functions and areas of activity which relate to the redefined NHM mission statement: networking, categorization of collections, education, entertainment, visitor experience, communication, refurbishment of the permanent exhibition, and fund-raising. In parallel to re-conceptualizing the museum, specialized companies were commissioned to examine the adequacy of the NHM s structure and infrastructure, as regards the assessment and management of asbestos findings, and the assessment of the building s statics and anti-seismic potential. Representatives of the Company contracted by UNDP on the asbestos situation have confirmed the presence of asbestos in the NHM building, as in most of the buildings in the world. One of the most important findings is that there is no asbestos in the primary structure of the building, but rather in its secondary structures. This includes but is not limited to a storeroom, various parts of display cases, piping in the basement, and sealant on boiler plates and lab equipment. It is recommended by the Company that the material should either be removed professionally, or closed off so as to remain undisturbed and inaccessible. There was confirmed to be no asbestos presence in either the entrance hall or the auditorium of the Museum. Asbestos management should be structured in a phased approach and planned to go as far as reasonably practicable. Refurbishments to the building can progress as required but reference should be made to the report as necessary. Any disturbance of the identified asbestos containing materials must be avoided. With regards to the seismic and structural investigations, the Contractor hired by UNDP has preliminarily determined that it appears no evaluation of seismic forces was undertaken in the original design of the building. It was discovered that the Museum was actually built structurally as four separate blocks, and that the existing space between blocks is insufficient to compensate for seismic effects (it should be 40cm, not 5cm as built). The Contractor concluded that the existing structural system of the Museum is very weak in both orthogonal directions and doesn t have the capacity to control the expected earthquake forces; the structural system is very vulnerable and, in case of a moderate earthquake, significant damage to all non-structural elements, facades and some structural elements is expected. For a strong or expected design earthquake with a magnitude greater than 5.5, partial or complete collapse of the structural elements, fragments or entire structural unit may occur. It was therefore strongly recommended that structural upgrades applying to Eurocode 8 will lead to a safer building seismically in its future serviceability. Further, from the desktop exercise and the visual inspections it is clearly evident that a number of minor damages exist in the building; however, these are considered to be non-structural in nature and can be repaired through relatively minor maintenance interventions. The assessment also revealed that the main building structure itself appears to be in a sound condition and does not foresee any major interventions, other than those strengthening measures required for compliance with Eurocode 8. However, some of the structural elements for the basic services of the building were not functioning (e.g. no fire alarm or fire-fighting system), whilst others were functional to a varying degree, but considered as being not fit for purpose. The findings of these two sets of studies allow us to assume that the building s condition may not severely delay or impede the implementation of the museum s re-conceptualization and refurbishment, if it is done in phases and with proper long-term planning. Sound project planning for the Museum is particularly important to ensure that duplication of effort and wastage of resources does not occur. It must also be considered that if works are to be implemented in phases, that the first phase for each building service will necessarily have to include the central plant

13 12 and equipment necessary even if the service ducts, pipelines etc, are renovated to match the programme of structural improvement works. But irrespective of any phased programme of implementation, it was strongly recommended that priority be given to essential safety measures related to the provision of fire detection, escape and protection facilities, which are currently not in place at the museum. Recommendations of the Advisory Board Based upon the results of the above studies, the information contained within the four reports of the consultants, and their own observations during the meetings, the Advisory Board has recommended a series of future steps of action for the National History Museum in order to transform it into a modern cultural institution operating at international museum standards. The following list of recommendations of the Advisory Board is a summarized version of all recommendations from the meetings and can be found in their original format in the annex to this report. Some of the most important recommendations are then discussed in greater detail in the sections following this list. 1. A new, long-term framework, strategy and vision for the Museum should be elaborated. This strategy should include a multi-year action plan for the transformation of the Museum that includes both the hard and soft actions to be undertaken. The focus of the reconceptualization of the Museum should be on visitors, rather than scientists, and a new flexible and modern museum building concept needs to be elaborated by architects taking into account the visitors flow. The results of the emergency investigations (asbestos, seismic, structural) need to be taken into account in this strategy and action plan. The planning of management and governance as well as infrastructural measures will have to run in parallel due to their interdependence on one another. 2. A mission statement for the Museum should be formally elaborated and included in the long-term strategy that focuses on a broad understanding of history, an emphasis on the entertainment, educative and communicative roles of the museum, expresses itself in first-person we, and reflects the relationship of the NHM with other museums and archaeological parks in Albania. Adopt a new mission statement such as below will reduce the political and personal influences on the Museum. The endorsed suggestion by the Advisory Board for this mission statement is: In the National History Museum, we aim to foster understanding and appreciation of the history of Albania diachronically, and of the role of Albania in world history, to local, national and international audiences. We encourage dialogue with and among all Albanian citizens on the past, present and future of the country. To this purpose, we acquire, conserve and research tangible and intangible evidence of the historical and cultural heritage of Albania, which we communicate and exhibit by stimulating education and entertainment. We take active part in national and international cultural networks and we organize activities which promote our vision and mission. 3. The roles and responsibilities of governance bodies need to be redefined. The governing bodies should assume more active and regular role in guiding, supervising and promoting the Museum, and their membership should be comprised of individuals with management expertise and international experience. The Scientific Advisory Board should be charged only with policy-related and strategic planning tasks, and the Executive Board with supporting the implementation of the Strategy through work plans. International members should be invited to join their meetings as external members and provide their international expertise and support to NHM; this is a crucial factor. The Ministry may also consider combining the two bodies into one. 4. A new organizational chart should be elaborated for the Museum that is target-oriented and describes key staff competences (such as museologist, scientific coordinator, Deputy Director, IT, museums pedagogic,

14 Recommendations of the Advisory Board 13 etc.). A human resources strategy should be then elaborated that is coherent with the mandate and goals/objectives of the Museum, is complete with staff planning and job descriptions, and corresponds to that of a modern museum, without being restricted to present legal or financial situations. More evidence should be given the new organizational chart to education, entertainment and international cooperation by adding supplemental competences. It is also advised to outsource activities which are not strategic and to merge safety and maintenance of premises into one position. The final proposal of the new management structure can be found in the document, Suggestion on a New Governance and Management Structure for the National History Museum of Albania. 5. Establish a roadmap for the transformation of the existing organizational chart into the new chart. Efforts should be undertaken to help improve the capacity of staff to better fit to the suggested new NHM organizational structure. Needs mentioned in that context were English language abilities, fundraising and project proposal design/writing. Such activities could be supported under the communication plan and capacity building. Museum staff could be taken on field visits to see examples of best practice. 6. A public relations process by the management and staff of the Museum should be pursued in order to build up a joint and coherent image for the Museum. Incentives should be made available to enhance the number and quality of initiatives taken by the Museum (e.g. funding mechanisms). To this same end partnerships should be established or improved on national and international levels. 7. Relevant laws and regulations should be revised according to the new strategy approved for the Museum. This includes adjusting the legal framework to international conventions and new laws adopted by Albania (Chapter I-IV), increasing the flexibility of financing of Public Museums (Art. 19), and delegating the authority of reusing the revenues of the Museums (Art.20) for the latter to create incentives/means to enter into co-funding activities for public museums. Adjust the decision No. 775 to the new philosophy of museums and include experts in the field of museology to sit in the Scientific Committee of Museums. 8. The museum staff should be permanently involved into all NHM activities implemented by the MDG-F project and be enabled and encouraged to contribute to the development of concepts and their subsequent implementation. 9. Recommends that the concept framework should be established before deciding any measures and based on the information contained within the four reports produced by the UNESCO consultants and the two studies commissioned by UNDP. Priority could also be given to the courtyard with conceptualization of the restaurant and shop. Original architects and technicians of the Museum should be invited if possible to discussions on room allocation. Work plans related to the main fields identified in the concept framework should be elaborated. The following issues are to be included into the concept for the NHM: National museum framework / network of museums in Albania Categorization of the collections Exhibit topics to be presented Research into history, ethnography, socio-economic development of Albania Education Entertainment Communication International cooperation with public relations and institutional cooperation Visitor experience Financial and fund-raising concepts 10. The collections that are currently located in the basement should be moved to the upper floors and objects should be cleaned and made ready for presentation. The NHM should also translate the list of collections and objects by category so that steps can be taken to assist in the proper inventorying and digitalization of the collection. A collections concept should be defined based on historic periods and material separated by categories: Prehistory, Middle-age, Ethnography and Modern.

15 The electricity transformer station in the building must be relocated immediately. Such a station should not be located in a publicly accessible building. 12. The air conditioning system is not functioning and should be based on the new concept for the Museum. Until the location of collections, exhibitions service rooms, lab etc. is planned and approved, the system should not be installed. Furthermore, the running costs and maintenance for the system have to be organized and guaranteed before the installation. 13. The elevator is not functioning and needs to be reinstalled. This should be part of the new museum concept, allowing access to handicapped persons. According to the UNRC, there could be other funds available for this purpose, e.g. from UNDP s social inclusion programme. 14. The entrance hall should be visitor friendly and attract new visitors. It should link to other parts of the Museum, such as the gift shop, a restaurant, and exhibitions. It is considered an important part of the Museum and therefore gets high priority. An improved gift shop could bring further attraction and contribute to the Museums budget. The entrance hall combines content, architecture and communication and will give a high visibility to both the Museum and the JP. 15. A security system does not exist in the Museum. The presence of a high number of staff in the badly visited exhibitions is costly and inefficient. The installation of a video surveillance system will reduce the number of security staff necessary, and create opportunities to use staff to reinforce other activities. The measure has therefore a high impact on the performance of the Museum. The activity is highly dependent on the planned exhibition concept. A first step could be the installation of a surveillance system and as a second step, the showcase highlights alarm system. This activity should also be combined with a training of responsible staff on security procedures and standards. 16. A new lighting concept needs to be elaborated in connection with the new exhibitions concept. 17. An emergency plan for the building itself should be focused on prior to issues relating to collections management. This recommendation is due in part to the fact that the collection cannot be moved anywhere for safekeeping during renovation. The emergency plan also needs to take into account the emergency exits and aesthetics of building. 18. Interventions relating to the asbestos, seismic and statics issues need to be planned immediately before proceeding with visible works. Based on the recommendations of the statics assessment, the heavy objects on the second floor may need to be removed. The necessary steps to remove or contain the asbestos should be elaborated, bearing in mind the limited budget of this project activity; this can be done in phases, and physical works to the building may begin in areas where the asbestos is not present or will remain undisturbed. The extensive structural strengthening measures that are required to ensure the capacity of the building to withstand the effects of seismic action, and also to meet international norms and standards can be worked into a phased programme to offset the investment costs over a period of time. Final versions of the reports by the two companies should be translated into Albanian. 19. The priority needs are to renovate the Museum entrance hall as well as other urgent measures, such as water supply, security and fire emergency systems. This will improve the visitor experience as well as enable the creation of new opportunities for revenue generation, allow for a flexible and dynamic use of the space during reconstruction efforts, and engage the general public more effectively than work in other areas of the museum. Work in the entrance hall could start immediately, as it is not directly affected by the necessary asbestos, seismic and statics interventions (which are very costly and need further fund-raising). Priority should also be given to essential safety measures related to the provision of fire detection and escape and protection facilities, which are currently not in place at the museum. The priorities on safety should be a cost-sharing activity with the Government of Albania.

16 Recommendations of the Advisory Board An internal communication plan for staff training and capacity building for the work of the AB to be communicated to the public, Government, media, etc, should be developed. 21. The question whether the NHM should remain a Historical Museum or change into a National Museum (including aspects like ethnography) requires a strategic decision by the government. 22. At the start of 2010, a series of symposia on Albanian history should be organized with the participation of the well-known Albanian and international historians. 23. As the final decision on how to proceed remains with the Government of Albania, it is recommended to move the decision processes forward quickly so as not to lose any funding currently available under the MDG-F Joint Programme. A clear commitment from the Government is needed for change to occur. Further discussion on the refurbishment of the entrance hall The refurbishment of the entrance hall has been recommended by the Advisory Board as a shortterm priority as it is a visible activity that would quickly have a clear impact on the overall image and functionality of the museum. It has been assessed as an essential first step for improving the institutional image of the museum in relation to its redefined, more public-oriented mission. Visitor services provided in this space will be a café and shop, as well as the ticket-issuing, audio guide and guard robe services. Although the need for audio guides is rather long term, in relation to a future refurbished permanent exhibition, it would be preferable to include this service already in the design of the hall. In fact, it would be feasible to acquire the relevant necessary equipment at the same time with the other equipment needed, and develop the content of the audio guide at a later stage. When the refurbishment of the space is implemented, the management of the café and shop could be externalized. It would be strongly recommended to avoid managing these two visitor services on own staff resources at first and externalizing them at a later stage, in order to prevent confusion in the museum s management structure at a time of overall restructuring and re-conceptualization. As for the staff engaged in visitor services directly managed by the museum, namely ticket-issuing, cloakroom and, eventually, the rental of audio guides, some training should take place as a final stage of this work package, in order to enhance their ability of welcoming and serving visitors. Further discussion on collections management Collections management includes the rearrangement of the categorization of NHM collections, their full inventorying (including numbering on the items), documentation, storage, conservation (preventive and, when necessary, corrective), and security. The need for restructuring collections management in the NHM has been identified in the needs assessment. Suggestions regarding the categorization of collections have been provided in the NHM concept report, and relevant recommendations of the Advisory Board have been submitted. Moreover, outlines of operational plans on conservation and security for the NHM have provided concrete suggestions regarding the actions and equipment that would be necessary for the conservation and security of the museum s artifacts. The document on NHM governance and management additionally includes suggestions on the staff necessary for collections management and their respective responsibilities.

17 16 A study on the overall reallocation of space in the museum could be seen as part of this work package. According to this study, suggestions would be provided on allocating space required for new functions of the museum: a security cabin, a storage area, a room for educational programmes, a room for temporary exhibitions, and space for events on rent. Obviously, reallocation of space is not only connected with the management of the collections, but with most of the areas of activity of the museum. However, this study could be done early enough in the year, as part of the work undertaken for refurbishing collections management, provided that there is a general agreement on not allocating additional space to the permanent exhibition (according to what has been mentioned in the Needs Assessment and suggested in the Concept report). If, on the contrary, it is considered as preferable to expand the area covered by the permanent exhibition, the study on reallocation of space should be done at a later stage, in relation to the development of the refurbished permanent exhibition, with all delays that this postponement may introduce to the refurbishment of collections management. In order to proceed to the implementation of activities related to collection management, the operational plans on security and conservation should be developed, including the Terms of Reference for the refurbishing work which will be required and the relevant equipment that should be purchased. In particular, the Terms of Reference on storage could be included in the operational plan for conservation (the respective outline includes mentions to the equipment required for the preventive conservation of objects on storage). In parallel, adequate areas should be allocated for storage and security purposes in the building (storage rooms, security cabin), taking into consideration some restrictions to which mention has already been made (adequacy of environmental and security conditions of storage areas, location of security cabin in proximity to the exhibition). When the Advisory Board has submitted its relevant recommendations to the Ministry, and provided that the Ministry has taken the relevant decisions and administrative actions for accepting the recommendations, the acquisition of the necessary equipment for security, preventive conservation and storage can be tendered. On the acquisition of the relevant equipment, some work should be required for refurbishing the spaces designated for security and storage purposes. Last and not least, the staff engaged in security and preventive conservation should be trained on how to use the new equipment. Further training related to integrated security and conservation plans is mentioned in the chapter on the staff training and capacity-building. Additionally, staff engaged in the inventorying and documentation of the collections should also be trained again, the subject is more thoroughly dealt with in the chapter on staff training. Further discussion on the organization of the permanent exhibition The report on the Concept framework suggestion for the reorganization of the National Historic Museum included suggestions on a new thematic concept for the permanent exhibition, with enhanced communicative potential, and on a general framework for topics to be exhibited. A working group on issues relating to the NHM was convened in late October 2009 by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports with a group of Albanian historians. As shared by the NHM Director with the AB, all of the historians/researchers present at this meeting seemed to be in agreement with the core idea of the suggestions provided on the refurbishment of the exhibition in the NHM Overall Concept report. The focus of the NHM should be on history. This idea was discussed further during the meeting of 9/ 12/ 2009 with the Director of NHM. It has been argued that historical exhibitions do not need to be object-oriented, and instead artifacts displayed could highlight their historical context, with a selective approach taken regarding artifacts to be included on display and the ones to remain on storage. It has also suggested that exposure of stakeholders to examples of other such exhibitions would be helpful.

18 Recommendations of the Advisory Board 17 In accordance with the conclusions of the meeting of the Albanian historians and the recommendations of the Advisory Board, an international debate is being organized by the Joint Programme to take place around May 2010regarding the role of the NHM and how Albania s history should be presented. This should be the first in a series of public consultations in which Albanian history is publicly discussed and debated, so that a consensus will eventually emerge on what the official overall concept of NHM should look like. These debates can take place simultaneously during the implementation of physical works in nonexhibition areas, such as the entrance hall and the courtyard. In parallel, an interdisciplinary team should be formed, to work on the exhibition development, ideally including both members of NHM staff and external experts. The Advisory Board could provide the MoTCYS with recommendations on the key disciplines that should be included in the team. The team should have a clear structure on who is responsible for what, facilitating the collaboration between different disciplines, and a team leader. Making use of the practical experience in developing historic exhibitions, it is estimated that the research on iconographic material and information to be included in the refurbished exhibition could be quite time-consuming: in addition to the selection and preparation of original artifacts to be included in the display, initial stages of this preparation process include research for identification of accompanying visual and informative material (to be included in wall panels, audiovisual applications etc), selection of final material to be included, request for reproduction rights where applicable and digitization not to mention the steps for exhibition development which follow this initial stage. Therefore, even if the discussion and public debate on the exhibition s content could be ongoing, the interdisciplinary team could start working on these initial stages, perhaps on core subjects for which it is decided to include. When the feedback is adequate and the reflection stage more mature, an operational plan for the exhibition should be developed, including a fully detailed concept and the architectural design of the envisaged exhibition. It should be noted that, ideally, this operational plan should be developed at a stage when the development work and research of the interdisciplinary team has progressed enough to provide adequate information and useful details, but not too far (before entering the stage of acquiring reproduction rights, for certain, so that time, effort and money is not wasted in the wrong direction ). The operational plan on the permanent exhibition should be detailed enough to provide, or ideally even include, the Terms of Reference for all the future steps regarding its implementation: therefore, it would be feasible to directly enter, upon its endorsement by the AB and approval by the MoTCYS, into public procurement procedures (eg architectural company, acquisition of showcases, development of audiovisuals software, acquisition of audiovisuals hardware etc). The operational plan on exhibitions should be based on the Concept framework suggestion for the reorganization of the NHM. The operational plan would therefore create a consensus around its main points and further detail concrete actions, timelines and costing of interventions. It is estimated that the finalization of the NHM concept may take several months and the public discussions and consensus building might be very time consuming, finishing later than desired and not earlier than the third/fourth quarters of This implies that the JP CHSED could not be able to fully benefit from the results of this discussion as its life span is limited to February This therefore is a risk of losing an opportunity to make use of available resources. One possible way forward is for the MoTCYS, the JP and other stakeholders to set up an interdisciplinary team, institutionally tasked to take preliminary issues forward and work on NHM aspects delinked from the ongoing discussions on the content of the exhibition. This would ensure an optimal use of time and build momentum for further activities in the NHM. Implementation of exhibition development could then start in late 2010, and the new exhibition could only be ready for inauguration in However, the suggested plan for this work package includes all the crucial decisions (including procurement procedures) in 2010.

19 18 Further discussion on restructuring management and enhancing the capacities of human resources In the light of the conclusions of the meeting of December 9, 2009 between the Director of NHM and UNESCO staff and consultants, future steps on restructuring the management of the museum should involve a gradual implementation of the suggested organization chart, to the extent that this is administratively possible at the moment. A transitional phase would preferably include a transitional organization chart, in which no services would be externalized, the attribution of posts to existing staff, according to their qualifications, and the engagement of additional staff in specializations missing (such as museum education). Administrative obstacles implicating the implementation of the suggestions provided on management include the fact that some of the functions suggested in the chart (such as education officers) do not exist in the provisions for specializations in the Albanian civil service. Considerations have also been discussed about how this chart could affect the management structures of the other public museums in Albania. Although the restructuring of NHM management could be an excellent opportunity for updating and modernizing the relevant legal provisions for all museums, alternative ways can be explored in order to overcome administrative obstacles for the implementation of the chart individually for NHM: such alternatives could be to initially engage contractual staff in the new functions for which there are no administrative provisions, or to employ them under a specialization already provisioned by law (eg hired as archaeologists but working in educational programmes, hired as guards but working in visitor services). In parallel to the identification of administrative obstacles and, possibly, of ways to overcome them, including the creation of a transitional chart, the meeting s conclusions suggested for the NHM Director to identify a team among existing staff for closer collaboration on the museum s refurbishment. At the same time, the Director of NHM, with the support of the MoTCYS and UNESCO, could identify the major gaps in missing specializations. The implementation of the transitional chart could follow, according to which posts and roles would be attributed to existing and new staff members. Training of NHM staff has been identified in reports and recognized by the Advisory Board as an internal part of the on-going efforts of the CHSED Programme for capacity-building of the institution. It is not clear yet how many and which member of the existing staff will form part of the envisaged improved management structure of the museum; it is not clear either how and when changes in personnel will occur, according to the suggestions made, or which of those suggestions could realistically be adopted in the short term. A first step could be to train the existing staff, and engage staff in some new functions, and at a later stage the chart could be fully implemented. The team selected by the Director among existing staff, to work more closely regarding the implementation of a new overall concept for the museum, could follow him in opportunities arising to visit other museums in Europe, so that they get acquainted with different museum management practices, and updated on best practices and relevant international standards. It should also be mentioned that the conclusions of the meeting undertaken with NHM staff indicate that they warmly welcome the opportunity to be trained according to international standards and acquainted with practices applied in other museums, also suggesting the idea of museum twinning for coaching. They have expressed their wish to form part of international museum networks, and their eagerness to enhance their skills and learn from the experience of other museums. They highlighted on own initiative the fact that specialized additional staff may be needed, and indicated that the NHM Statutes should be updated. They were indeed very interested in a definition and overview of educational programmes in museums. It looks like the NHM staff and Director would welcome, as a start for staff training, the opportunity