16 March

• Chasubles from the XVIII and the XVII century. Haute Loire (France)
  The Treasure of the Chaise-Dieu Abby was considerable in other times. Partly destroyed in religious wars, there remain pieces of an exceptional value, including liturgical vestments and the front of an altar made of fur that is currently being restored. In fact, the association of the Friends of the Abby Saint-Robert set themselves as an objective the display of the pieces that survived the passing of centuries: tapestries from the choir,, an ivory crucifix from the XVI century, sculptures…Two chasubles and the altar front are being restored by the Textiles Museum of Lyon to be later shown to the public in a show case thanks to an attractive museum display.
  More information in French: http://www.fondation-patrimoine.net/delegations-projet.php4?id=688

15 March

• CULTURE/EU PARLAMENT: What's the future for EU's online library Europeana?
  On 22 February in Brussels, the Culture Committee deliberated on the future of the EU’s online library issue.
  German Invited to present her view point, the Green MEP Helga Trüpel drafted Parliament's said "We have to find means to encourage member states to provide more funding for digitisation. My big political goal is to achieve the balance between making books available and rewarding the authors. Google scanned a lot of books under copyright and then the authors complained and went to court”.” MP Helga Trüpel also asked for more and better content on Europeana while respecting intellectual property rights, for a better promotion of the library among the broadest possible public and for an urgent measures from the Commission and member states able to avoid a knowledge gap between Europe and the United States of America"...
  More information: http://www.europeana.eu/

12 March

• Tampa Museum of Art / Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects. Florida (USA)
  Museums began in ancient times as Temples, dedicated to the muses, where the privileged went to be amused, to witness beauty, and to learn. After the Renaissance museums went public with palatial structures where the idea of the gallery arose, a space to display paintings and sculpture. Later, museums became centers of education, researching, collecting, and actively provoking thought and the exchange of ideas. By presenting the highest achievements of culture, museums became a stabilizing and regenerative force, crusading for quality and excellence. The role of the modern museum is both aesthetic and didactic, both Temple and Forum.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/52247/tampa-museum-of-art-stanley-saitowitz-natoma-architects/

• Nanjing Art Museum / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten (China)
  Located in the cultural center of Nanjing and in the immediate proximity of the historical Presidential Palace of today’s provincial capital, the new Jiangsu Provincial Art Museum is one of the most important museums in south-east China. It has space for temporary exhibitions and houses a permanent collection featuring traditional Chinese art, which illustrates the cultural wealth of Nanjing – one of the oldest cities in southern China. The sizeable collection is kept in archive rooms in the Museum, which meet today’s techni- cal and strict conservation requirements. Having previously designed the National Li- brary of China in Beijing, the German company KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten has now completed its second significant cultural building in China.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/52446/nanjing-art-museum-ksp-jurgen-engel-architekten/

• (in Italian) Intervista a Giancarlo Gonizzi - Coordinatore delle attività legate all'Archivio Storico SAME. Treviglio (Italia)
  More information: http://www.tafter.it/2010/03/09/museo-e-archivio-storico-same/

10 March

• History of Immigration in France- Items of Immigration
  February 11th-April 24th, 2010 in Villeurbanne, Lyon (France)
  The Exhibition Items of Immigration has gathered testimonies of immigrants collected between 2006 and 2008 in the region of the Rhône-Alpes.
  The people interviewed come from different countries of origin and are between 24-60 years old. They are first, second or even third generation immigrants, and they tackle the following topics: the history of their migration, or that of their parents/grandparents, and the transmission of their culture. This concept of cultural transmission is approached through an item: every person who was interviewed selected an item that is capable of evoking those cultural and intimate traces for them.
  More information in French: http://www.histoire-immigration.fr/index.php?lg=fr&nav=447&flash=0&id_actu=1265

5 March

• Exhibition - Bushfire Australia
  8 March - 25 July 2010. Healesville, Victoria (Australia)
  Bushfire Australia will examine the recurrence of bushfire imagery in the work of Australian artists. The exhibition will draw on works from state, public and private collections, including Australian historical paintings and new works made in direct response to the 2009 fires, creating a reflective, poignant and ultimately hopeful exploration of this dramatic Australian phenomenon.
  More information: http://www.twma.com.au/

• Deadline reminder for new nominations for Memory of the World International Register. Deadline: 31 March 2010
  UNESCO is inviting new nomination proposals for inscription on its Memory of the World International Register, a list of library collections and archive holdings of world significance, which was established in 1997 to promote documentary heritage of universal value. Nominations should ideally be submitted through the National Commission for UNESCO or the Memory of the World National Committee in the country where it is located. Proposals should be based on the selection criteria listed in the General Guidelines to Safeguard Documentary Heritage, which stipulate that the most important criterion for inscription on the register is the universal significance of the documentary heritage.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29591&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

• Hôtel-Musée Premières nations - Wendake, Québec (Canada) - LEMAYMICHAUD Architecture Design
  This project is a unique alliance between 4-star accommodations and a museum experience that takes visitors on an exceptional voyage through the traditions and contemporary culture of the First Nations and Inuit. Located in an enchanting setting on the Akiawenrahk River, the hotel/museum complex evokes the architecture of the longhouse, traditional dwelling of the Iroquois people, who include the Huron-Wendat Nation. Combining contemporary comfort and cultural experience, the establishment warmly welcomes guests to its 55 4-star rooms and suites, worthy of the legendary hospitality of the Huron-Wendat. The evocative location adds a special cachet to business meetings and receptions, along with the authentic flavours of gourmet cuisine inspired by the First Nations, a 125-seat restaurant with a private dining room and 5 meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 140 people.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/51436/hotel-musee-premieres-nations-lemaymichaud-architecture-design/

• National Library in Astana, Kazakhstan / BIG
  BIG was recently awarded with the first prize on an open international design competition for Kazakhstan’s new National Library in Astana. The new building has an area of 33.000 sqm, arranged as a continuous circulation on a Möbius Strip, as the result of 2 interlocking structures: the perfect circle and the public spiral. The sections (see below) clearly show how the horizontal program shifts to a vertical configuration, combining vertical hierarchy, horizontal connectivity and diagonal view lines. The skin, which changes from wall to roof as the strip develops. It sounds a bit complicated, but the sections and diagrams explain this pretty well, and you can get the idea on how the spaces and diagonal views relate on the renderings. In short words, a clear lineal organization (ideal for an archive, library) is mixed with an infinite loop.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/33238/national-library-in-astana-kazakhstan-big/

• A.& M. Miskiniai Public Library - Utena (Lithuania) / 4 Plius Architects
  Public libraries remain important cultural centres and spaces of gathering for local communities in smaller towns of Lithuania, and A. and M. Miškinis Public Library in Utena is definitely one of such cases. After complete reconstruction it grew up to become a three-storied building; its area was enlarged up to more than 3,100 square meters; the whole technological infrastructure was changed. However the scope of extension was restricted by the proximity of the central park and small-scale residential buildings nearby. The reconstruction assignment was to develop a modern and rational structure of the building with maximum use of space to meet the needs of the community, thus beside exhibition and depository spaces, a conference centre, an exhibition hall, a children literature section, a section for periodicals, the mediatheque, individual working places with access to the Internet and other spaces needed to be accommodated.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/30951/a-m-miskiniai-public-library-4-plius-architects/

• Safe Haven Library / TYIN Tegnestue
  In January 2009 TYIN invited 15 norwegian architect students from NTNU to participate in a workshop at the Safe Haven Orphanage. The workshop was led by Associate Professor Hans Skotte and architect Sami Rintala. The most immediate needs at the orphanage was a library and a new sanitary building. TYIN worked on a bathhouse, together with the Karen workers from Noh Bo, while the workshop participants put their efforts into the library.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/30764/safe-haven-library-tyin-tegnestue/

• National Tecnical Library in Prague -CZECH REPUBLIC / Projektil Architekti
  The idea of the new technical library is quite old and started in the 90’s. The architectural competition took place in 2000. The investor is the ministry of education on behalf of the State technical library. Our design got 1st prize among approximately 50 proposals. There wasn’t any second prize and, instead there were three third prizes. Afterwards, there was a time gap till the year 2004 in which the ministry of education chose to sponsor another competition to decide who would continue in the building design. After the plans where finished in 2006 the developer Sekyra Group was chosen to construct in a PPP like program. The real building contractor was then the partnership Metrostav – OHLŽS. Building construction started in the year 2006 and was finished in January 2009. Currently books are being moved in.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/29600/national-tecnical-library-in-prague-projektil-architekti/

• National Library of Beijing - CHINA / KSP Engel und Zimmermann Architekten
  KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten recently designed a 77,000 square meter library extension to accommodate the existing National Library of Beijing. The new addition will hold approximately 12 million books and be used by an estimated 12,000 people per day.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/29856/national-library-ksp-engel-und-zimmermann-architekten/

• AD Round Up: Libraries Part I
  In less than a year of existence, we have featured more than 500 projects! So in case you´ve missed some we will be featuring interesting projects, sorted by building type. Here´s our first selection of Libraries you can´t miss.
  • España Library
  • Central Library, Universidad Católica del Norte
  • Chongqing Library
  • Ilhavo City Library
  • Turku City Library

  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/13317/ad-round-up-libraries-part-i/

4 March

• Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia) - Capacity building visit, University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila - The Philippines
  As part of the long-standing Memorandum of Understanding between Deakin University and the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Honorary Fellow Margaret Birtley and Dr Linda Young spent a week in Manila presenting a course titled 'Current Issues in Museology'. The trip was initially planned for July but was interrupted by H1N1 flu quarantine threats, and delayed until December 2009. UST runs a Master's program in Cultural Heritage, within the College of Fine Arts and Design. The Dean of the College is Cynthia Loza, Master of Cultural Heritage (Deakin University, 2006). The program is largely taught by Eric Zerrudo, another Deakin graduate and holder of the first CHCAP scholarship for an Asian student, in 2001. The program works in association with the University Museum, an old collection of taxidermy, ethnographic items, Southeast Asian ceramics and Spanish colonial religious art. UST will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2011, being the oldest university in SE Asia.
  More information: http://www.deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/chcap/chcap-news/news-09.php#ust

• Exhibition-All the world’s boats-the work of the Admiral Pâris (1806-1893)
  March 10th-September 19th, 2010. Paris, France
  The National Marine Museum features a trip to the centre of the world’s sea cultures through a breathtaking collection of boat models, treasures of their collections. The exhibition of more of 1000 m2 reveals the richness of traditional boats from one country to another around the five continents. Many of them have vanished today, but an exceptional man, a marine, a scientist and an artist, preserved their memory. Boats are the reflection of a natural habitat and the image of a society; their “historical reading” is fascinating as it brings into action those men, whose creativity it reveals and without whom they would not exist today. François-Edmond Pâris (1806-1893) sailed across the earth seas during his career as a marine official. While foretelling the vanishing of an invaluable heritage, he gathered information and architectonic plans, and painted watercolours of the boats in situation. He was a pioneer of this global approach, and was also the founder of Sea Ethnography.
  More information in French: http://www.festivaldelimaginaire.com/programme/tous-les-bateaux-du-monde.html

• Utah Museum of Natural History New Building Update (USA)
  A new home for the Utah Museum of Natural History, the Rio Tinto Center, is under construction. Track the building and construction process via webcam!
  More information: http://www.umnh.utah.edu/newmuseum

• (in Italian) Un settore che si ostina a non volersi conoscere… (Italia)
  In estate (luglio 2009) sono stati pubblicati dall’Istat gli esiti della rilevazione statistica (di carattere pressoché censuario) sui musei e i luoghi di cultura non statali in Italia, indagine promossa dal Dipartimento per le Politiche di Sviluppo (DPS) del Ministero dello Sviluppo economico e realizzata attraverso un’ampia collaborazione interistituzionale (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Regioni e Province Autonome). La rilevazione, condotta negli anni 2007 e 2008, si è come noto occupata di rilevare e diffondere informazioni sui musei e le istituzioni assimilabili (gallerie, pinacoteche, aree e siti archeologici, monumenti e altre strutture espositive permanenti e aperte al pubblico) non statali per descriverne le caratteristiche strutturali, i servizi offerti, le attività, i modelli organizzativi, i beni custoditi e molti altri aspetti, colmando un vuoto che andava assumendo contorni anomali per un settore che oramai da più di vent’anni è al centro di politiche, strategie, modelli di sviluppo locale.
  More information: http://www.tafter.it/2010/02/25/un-settore-che-si-ostina-a-non-volersi-conoscere%E2%80%A6/