Repertoire and Events

Hyper-connectivity for the Virtual Museum of Geological and Historical Collections of ISPRA, is a strategic necessity born also from the fact that the Collections are currently closed to the public.

In order to approach the audience of the users and create a network of museums, the "Repertoire of the Italian Museums of Earth Sciences" is born. This tool allows the ISPRA Museum Collections, the numerous museums participating in the Repertoire network and the public to be mutually connected through the Virtual Museum site, which provides all the available information on the participating museums.

The geographical research and the museum themes (traditional museums, in situ museums, ecomuseums, abandoned mining areas, paleontological sites, caves, etc.), create a territorial network, bringing the public closer to the Museums of Earth Sciences.

This tool therefore allows us to popularize important scientific museums in our country, sometimes unknown to the majority, and to encourage the user to include these places in the planning of trips or journeys on the territory.

The Repertoire of the Italian Museums of Earth Sciences, though already very extensive, is continuously implemented and updated. It is also planned, in the near future, to create a Repertoire of the Italian Naturalistic Museums.

Another tool of dissemination and connection with the ISPRA Virtual Museum user is the "Events" Section, mainly relating to Earth Sciences and Museum themes, continuously updated, which shows events and initiatives of the museum itself and of ISPRA, but also scientific congresses, thematic meetings, seminars, etc. organized by other Museums and scientific Institutes, Universities, local Authorities, Scientific Associations mainly, but not only, italian. This tool allows us to inform interested users about the news and initiatives to join in.

Repertoire of Italian Museums of Earth Sciences 2018

The idea of ​​an online repertoire of Museums of Earth Sciences originates from the need of a knowledge tool available to different users, from the specialist to the general public.

In the repertoire can be found museums that preserve lithological, mineralogical and paleontological collections, and address issues related to the Earth Sciences. In the repertoire are also included those municipal and natural science museums that display collections related to the Earth sciences also. The directory includes both traditional museums (indoor museums, also known as “ex situ museums”) and outdoor museums, also defined “in situ museums”, including museums of the territory, eco-museums and so on.

The category of in situ museums includes paleontological areas preserving rich fossil faunas, or tracks and footprints of the same, significant to study the evolution of life on Earth, the natural environments of the past and the chronological attribution of geological strata. Underground caves can also be considered as in situ museums: caves, in fact, are an incredible treasure of geological, hydrological, paleontological and anthropological information. In Italy there are more than 30,000 natural cavities, but only the more accessible and touristic ones were included in the repertoire. The repertoire also includes museums related to quarries and mines. Museums resulting from the in situ recovery of the territories and structures (outdoor or underground) where the extraction, processing and transport of materials took place. In the category "indoor museums" were included the ones that display ex situ litho-mineralogical and paleontological collections, machinery, earth history,  photographic records, specifically related to a particular local quarry or mine.

Events

Inside the Virtual Museum of Geological and Historical Collections held by ISPRA, there is the "Events Calendar" section, where can be found news on Earth Sciences and Museology. This section is divided into two sub-categories: "Events" and "Calls and Courses".

The "Events" category lists news related to Conferences, Thematic Exhibitions, Seminars, Conferences, Study Days or Celebrations, which take place mainly in Italy, although there are also notices of particular events abroad.

In the "Calls and Courses" category it is possible to find information on courses, projects and competition announcements on the same topics.

The continuous updating of this section is the result of an exchange of information within the network of museums of Earth Sciences, of the Museum Associations such as ICOM and ANMS, of geothematic associations and the development of museum mailing lists, that allow the circulation and dissemination of scientific information among all the bodies that for various reasons deal with the Earth Sciences and the Museology.