This special issue of the Conservatoire National des arts et métiers (Paris) publication focuses on science and technology museums, namely the museums whose function is to enrich, enhance and transmit technical and scientific collections of items. It will be published in June 2016 (vol.5, 2016/1).

Online Link (in French) : http://technique-societe.cnam.fr/cahiers-d-histoire-/musees-scientifiques-et-techniques-735001.kjsp

Coordinated by Rebecca Amsellem, (Economie et Société/Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and HT2S/Cnam), Serge Chambaud (Président of the French Organization for Science Advancement, former director of the Musée des arts et métiers and HT2S/Cnam), and Dominique Poulot (HiCSA/Université Paris 1 Panthéon- Sorbonne).

A museum acquires, preserves and passes on its collections. Beyond these historical functions, museums also enhance its collection to an audience and promote scientific research. And museums’ functions continue to develop. Prospective analysis emphasize that in 2020 the museum will be the place of individual and collective experiences as "creativity centers and local entrepreneurship" (Anderson et al. 2015), as well as « do tanks » (professional and amateur practices related to hacking) (Lallement, 2015). With these new features, it is also conceivable that the museum is no longer only the "guardian" of the collections but a place in which artefacts are just passing through.

What are the clues that today may confirm or refute the hypotheses in prospective studies? Thus, the objective is to provide a state of the art research on scientific and technical museums and understand the changing trends of museum functions.

The objective is to present various aspects of research on science and technology museums: mainly around the question of collections : their management (Benhamou, 2012), production (eg exhibitions centered on the visitor experience) (Eidelman, 1992), but also on the museum development strategies (Registry and Krebs, 2010; Ballé, Poulot and Mazoyer, 2004 ; Amsellem, 2013), and new mediation practices through the prism of digital technologies. The analysis can be synchronic (with a comparative perspective) but also diachronic (incorporating a historiographical dimension).

Reference disciplines and methods are chosen by the author, who will specify explicitly in her or his proposal: Economy (heritage, intangible/tanglible assets, experience), sociology (audience, culture, leisure), Heritage (museology, heritage conservation), history (institutions, science and technology), information and communication (mediation, mediology) etc. (not exhaustive). Possible topics:

• Le rôle du Musée des arts et métiers.
• Renewal of the museum mediation.
• The roles of permanent and temporary exhibitions.
• Collections of the Cnam.
• The museum, a place of experience and experimentation.

Terms of submission and evaluation

This call is for researchers and PhD students in a transdisciplinary perspective, but also for museum professionals.
The selection of contributions is done in two stages. A first selection is made by the coordinators on the basis of the proposals received. This selection does not guarantee a final publication. Authors whose proposals are accepted then submit a full article (around 50,000 characters) that is evaluated by a reading committee.

Calendar

• July 1, 2015: deadline for submitting proposals.
• July 15: Response to the authors after the first selection in abstract.
• October 15: deadline for receiving articles (v1).
• 15 December 2015: return of assessments and definitive answer to the authors.
• February 15, 2016: deadline for finalized articles (v2).
• mid-June 2016: publication of the special issue of the journal.

Proposals to be returned before July 1, 2015 at: rebeccaamsellem@gmail.com
NAME:
First Name:
function:
institution:
Email address:
phone:
Proposal Title:
Proposal: Maximum 250 words - 1500 characters.

Bibliography

• Anderson D. et al. « What should our museums look like in 2020? », 16 mars 2015, The Guardian (en ligne).
• Amsellem R. “International Touring Exhibitions: Toward a Profitable Business Model for Exhibitions?” The Journal of Arts
• Management, Law, and Society, n°43 2013/1, pp. 36-57.
• Ballé C., Poulot D., et Mazoyer M.-A. Musées en Europe : une mutation inachevée. Paris : La Documentation Française, 2004.
• Cuenca C., Thomas Y., et Ballé C. Le patrimoine scientifique et technique contemporain : Un programme de sauvegarde en Pays de la Loire. Paris : L'Harmattan, 2005.
• Benhamou F. (2014). “Patrimoine : Les Contradictions D’une Époque.”Le Journal des arts, n°43 2014/1, pp.36-57.
• Eidelman J. “Qui fréquente les musées à Paris? Une sociographie des publics des musées de France.” Publics et Musées n°2 2012/1, pp.19–47.
• Greffe X., et Krebs A. Les relations entre les musées et les municipalités en Europe. Rapport du Groupement d’analyse politique E=MU2, 2010.
• Lallement M. L'Âge du faire : Hacking, travail, anarchie. Paris : Seuil, 2015.
• Mairesse F. Le musée hybride. Paris : La documentation française / Musées-Monde, 2010.