The Latin American Institute of Musuems and Democratic Networking: Using the Internet to Overcome Geographic and Political Barriers

How can information and training be exchanged, efficiently and effectively, among people separated by considerable geographic, economic, and political obstacles?

This was the puzzle that confronted a group of museum professionals nearly a decade ago. Trained in Latin America, the United States and Europe, they were frustrated by the lack of communication and volume of missed opportunities that characterized the Latin American sector.  For this reason, on December 1, 1997, led by Georgina DeCarli, an Argentinean/Costa Rican anthropologist, they founded the Latin American Institute of Museums (initially called the Latin American Institute of Museology), or ILAM.  The Institutes's web portal has been a pioneer in utilizing Internet technology to connect communities, exchange knowledge, and facilitate Democratic flows of information across national borders and within countries. ILAM's work in providing full access to information and opportunities has received awards and recognition world-wide.

Since its foundation, ILAM's work has been guided by seven core principles that center on the concepts of access, technological literacy, sustainability, inclusion and collaboration:

• Integration of cultural and natural heritage: It is often very hard to separate natural from cultural heritage sites in Latin America, and often natural heritage is part of a population's shared past and identity.
• Museology committed to the community, so that museums play an active role in sustaining the communities in which they are housed.
• Inclusion, neutrality and democratization of information: In a region with grave economic and social inequalities, providing equal access to equal information is critical.
• Heritage appreciation and dissemination: Given the region's immense distances and rugged geography, it is often difficult for populations to be fully aware of each other's rich and diverse heritage.
• Joint-effort implementation: Because ILAM is committed to community integration, all efforts developed by the organization are developed jointly with local participants throughout the region.
• Information technology at the service of the heritage sector: Technological literacy is one of the cornerstones of ILAM's projects. The Internet, in particular, serves to overcome problems of physical and political access.

The Institute operates an array of programs in several key action areas:

1. Democratic Networking, through the creation and maintenance of an online database, RedILAM, of 6,233 natural and cultural heritage sites in twenty Latin American countries. Before the Institute developed the database, only very incomplete listings of Latin American museums existed, and many were almost impossible to access.  The database is maintained by ILAM headquarters in Costa Rica, and a group of volunteers in a number of Latin American countries.
2. Training and Documentation through online workshops, online documentation, virtual internships, an online newsletter (Noticias@ILAM), and threaded thematic discussions. Noticias@ILAM has been vitally important in establishing professional and academic networks, disseminating innovations and expertise, and providing equal access to training and consulting opportunities.  ILAM has been a leader in online training in the region since 2000, with courses that range from exhibition planning to fund development.
3. Consulting, Project Management, and International Cooperation. The Institute is widely recognized as a premier source of information on Latin American heritage organizations. Its approach to museums as agents of community change is aligned with the goals of a variety of international organizations, which partner with ILAM in several initiatives. Some of the organizations the Institute has worked or consulted with include The World Bank, UNESCO, RedCamus (Central America's Museum Network), Link All (a project of the European Commission which links culture to sustainable development), the Falconbridge Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States, and the International Council of Museums, among others.

In 1998 ILAM partnered with the American Association of Museums to organize the Summit of the Museums of the Americas, which brought together 150 institutions form 32 countries in North, Central and South America.  The document that emerged from the summit, An Agenda for Action, has been used by ILAM to assist Latin American museums in developing culturally sustainable initiatives. Interestingly, corporations with socially and environmentally responsible policies have begun to consult with ILAM for their own development projects.

ILAM is an innovative organization in many ways. It uses local expertise rather than importing untried prescriptions or models.  In a sector often characterized by confusing and conflicting sources of information, it provides forums for airing ideas, clarifying concepts, adding to the region's knowledge base. But what "ilamitas" are proudest of is their contribution to the preservation of Latin America's rich cultural heritage both within the region as well as to the rest of the world.

ILAM's Mission is to support the museums and parks of Latin America by means of research, communication and training, and assist these organizations so they can serve as agents of change and development in their countries.

-This article was written for the Spring 2007 issue of Artsline by Ximena Varela who is a full-time faculty member and Research Director of Drexel University's Arts Administration Graduate Program, and a Board Member of ILAM.