TAIWAN CRAFTS JOURNAL

Dec. 2020 / Vol.79

|Feature

The Future of Craft Collection–Open, Access, Experience

Museums progress with time, coming from just a place to show collections to a platform that offers access for the public to their treasures in modern times, therefore establishing a deeper connection with the society, and playing a more influential role.

Celebrating the refurbishment and re-opening of the Craft Information Hall of National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, this issue explores how this important organization for craft collection in Taiwan brings on-site and digital resources together smoothly, as well as its efforts to serve as an exchange and sharing platform to spread information and open the library’s door to more people to immerse themselves in the craft world.

Not restricted by time and space, this kind of virtual service is particularly welcomed in the post-COVID-19 era. People can literally pay a visit to museums at home. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t need to go to museums anymore. A lot of people still want to see with their own eyes. This issue ends with a trip to the “open collection storage room”, looking into how the collections can be “opened, accessed and experienced”.

Highlight the Treasures of Taiwan's Crafts, Usher in the Future Rich in Crafts Information

After 70 years, the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute is about to turn a new page with the launch of its Craft Information Hall to be opened in December this year (2020). Its collections will once again play an important role to expand the future vision of contemporary crafts through new media and digital technology, bringing people closer to how crafts are used and learn to appreciate the beauty in it. Doing this not only broadens the research on Taiwan crafts, but also sows the seeds in many people’s minds who will see the richness of this land through these craft treasures.

Read Through the Crafts: a Reborn Craft Library

We are giving our readers a tour to one of the best craft library in Taiwan - the Craft Information Hall of National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute. After a year of renovation, a brand new place that combines the curatorial and library space is where people meet, learn and find inspiration. This is somewhere the resources are open and available to the public.

Lay the Groundwork and Unlock Potential for Craft Digital Collection

In the digital age, the museum’s digital collections allow tangible collections to come across the limits of time, place and form, and deliver them to the public through a variety of channels, interfaces and platforms, so as to deepen the benefits of opening of cultural assets, access to art, and equity in art. This article walks the readers through the achievements in various stages of the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute in pushing forward digital collections and application, and its efforts to create more added-value to crafts.