Preserving and making educational heritage accessible
A new collaboration between the Digital Museum of Learning and Schulmuseum Bern
In an exciting new venture, the Digital Museum of Learning is partnering with the Stiftung Schulmuseum Bern to digitize and catalog a significant portion of the museum's collection covering school and learning history in the Canton of Bern from the late 1800s to the beginning of the 21st Century. This collaboration, generously funded by the Jacobs Foundation, aims to bring the rich history of education to a broader audience through innovative digital exhibitions.
The Schulmuseum Bern, located in Köniz, Switzerland, houses an extensive collection of educational artifacts that reflect the historical development of school culture in the region. However, many of these valuable items are not easily accessible to the public or researchers due to limited documentation and contextualization and limited online accessibility. This project seeks to address these challenges by digitizing 120 objects as high-quality images or other digital formats and enhancing their metadata to meet international standards.
By making these artifacts available online, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of the interest and importance of educational history and its impact on society. One of the highlights of this collaboration is the creation of a story about education in times of conflict, highlighting ways to support children so they can learn and thrive despite difficult circumstances.
This cleaning set and the 9.5mm film rolls from a circa 1922 Pathé Baby projector were donated by a former school teacher. Pathé Baby was one of the first portable home-cinema projectors, featuring 3-5 minute silent films for classroom and home use.
Not all objects in the collection are clearly identifiable. What could this box have been used for?
Museums dedicated to education face challenges to keep their doors open
Museums of education play a crucial role in preserving and disseminating our shared educational heritage, yet they often lack the resources needed to maintain and showcase their collections, often initiated and built by large communitees of volunteers and retired teachers and education professional By supporting these museums and their communities of practice and knowledge, we ensure that the stories and lessons from the past are not lost but instead used to inform and improve current educational practices. This initiative not only preserves cultural heritage but also supports the future of innovative educational programs and interdisciplinary research.
At the Digital Museum of Learning, we believe in the power of digital technology and storytelling to transform how we engage with the cultural, social and educational history and science of learning. This collaboration with the Schulmuseum Bern is a testament to our commitment to inclusivity, knowledge sharing, and cultural enrichment. We are excited to see how this project will inspire educators, children, and cultural history enthusiasts and guardians around the world.
We are always looking for new partners to help bring more educational artifacts to life on screen. If your institution is interested in collaborating with us, please reach out to explore how we can work together to share the history and science of learning with children and educators!
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