Nearly 3,000 artefacts from Heritage Malta's museums and reserve collections are now accessible online following the launch of an eMuseum by the cultural heritage agency.
This eMuseum is a new online platform that gives the public "unprecedented access" to Malta's national collection of historical artefacts. The launch of this eMuseum marks the opening of Heritage Malta's Careers Fair this weekend which will showcase the professions and opportunities in Malta's cultural heritage sector.
This collection includes items from the National Museum of Community Arts (MUŻA), the Malta Maritime Museum, the Gozo Museum of Archaeology, amongst others. Through this eMuseum, users can search for artefacts by name or date, past exhibitions, or through the museum they are housed in. Through this platform, users may also curate their own personal collections of their favourite items.
During this launch - which took place at Heritage Malta's headquarters in Bighi, Kalkara - Culture Minister Owen Bonnici announced the launch of this eMuseum "after four years of dedicated work by curators, conservators, and digitisation specialists." More artefacts will be added regularly to this eMuseum, the Minister added.
"This initiative represents an important step in the digitalisation of our cultural heritage and will place Malta at the forefront in this field," Minister Bonnici said.
Minister Bonnici said that through Heritage Malta's eMuseum, the public will not only be able to better appreciate the national collection, but the people will also be able to explore, study, and interact with it from anywhere in the world.
Heritage Malta CEO Noel Zammit noted how "the portal opens wide the doors for education, new partnerships that transcend borders, and new opportunities for cultural diplomacy, and greater transparency in the way Heritage Malta cares for and interprets our country's cultural assets." He remarked that this marks the beginning of new and exciting journeys in the agency's digitisation efforts.
Zammit thanked the staff within his agency's Technology and Experience Development (TED) Unit and said that this eMuseum forms part of a larger series of initiatives. He ensured that "what we collect digitally reflects the full truth of cultural heritage, not just its visual form."
Heritage Malta's Careers Fair is open between 9am and 5pm this weekend at the agency's headquarters in Bighi, Kalkara. It is inviting the public to explore the various professional options that will help shape the future of Malta's cultural heritage; visitors will be able to meet experts from the cultural heritage sector like curators, archaeologists, carpenters, and more.
The eMuseum platform is designed as a dynamic environment that fosters exploration and learning. People can access it through the following URL: http://emuseum.heritagemalta.mt/.