“A circumcision mask from western Kenya and a headdress made from human hair from Uganda are among 140 artefacts from the British Museum that have gone on show in Nairobi – the first time the museum has lent objects to Africa.
But the exhibition has sparked debate about whether such objects should be returned to their home countries for good.
…
‘Repatriation is yesterday’s question. Questions of ownership depend on the thought that an object can only be in one place’“. (Guardian)
Oh, really? Then why not give objects back to the countries from which they were originally taken?

A new museum blog ‘on the latest trends in the world of museum informatics and technology’.

I came across two good archaeology blogs today, Past Thinking, and archaeoblog (because it listed April Fools stories).

“The British Museum said yesterday that it would return the cremated ashes of Australian Aborigines, more than 160 years after they were taken.” (Guardian)

Mobile phone tours in museums have enough mainstream awareness to merit an article in The Age, but as the article points out, there are issues with roaming and mobile call costs. There’s no mention of implementation at any Australian museums, but I don’t know if that’s because there aren’t any, or because the article was bought from overseas.
I think podcasts are also a viable alternative. I’d love to see links between city tourism and museums so that people can hear museum content over a whole city.

I love the idea of the Ubiquitous Museum.
“This is a system that allows us to use our mobile phone like a magnifying glass as a tool to discover hidden history and stories, as we stroll around town.”
And it gets cooler:
“What makes this system unique is its participatory approach. Users are encouraged to be providers of information, not just to be receivers.”
I’ve always had a fascination with uncovering and presenting the layers of history hidden under the city streets. It’s the kind of content that museums have unique access to and unique resources to develop, but at the same time it’s difficult to find the resources. Hopefully as standards develop, it’ll be easier to produce re-usable content.

“One of the biggest and most complete giant squids ever found is on display at London’s Natural History Museum.” BBC

“A fairly nondescript piece of stone could have an impact on the future of the Parthenon Marbles dispute. Last month Heidelberg University decided to return its small fragment of the frieze to Greece.” (Art Newspaper). I wonder if the British Museum is watching.

And a very belated post, a comment from the Turner Prize 2006 at Tate Britain: “My cat could draw better than this lot and I haven’t even got one.”

“Archaeologists in Greece say they are examining the largest underground tomb ever found in the country.” (BBC)