SPK intensifies cooperation with the University of Oxford
Press release from 09/10/2018
Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and University of Oxford sign Memorandum of Understanding to deepen strategic partnership
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation will work more closely with the University of Oxford in the areas of conservation, digitisation, research, exhibitions and visitor research. A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was signed by the President of the SPK, Hermann Parzinger, and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Anne Trefethen, during a visit by an Oxford delegation to Berlin.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, together with the Director of the Bodleian Libraries, Richard Ovenden, and other Oxford museum directors, visited the Digitisation Centre of the Berlin State Library, the Archaeological Centre and the Dahlem Restoration Route of the National Museums in Berlin, following a visit by representatives of the SPK to Oxford institutions in May.
Hermann Parzinger: "The University of Oxford is home to some of the most renowned cultural and natural science collections and libraries in Europe. Against this background, it is an excellent partner for numerous topics that also concern the SPK and its institutions, in particular the museums and the State Library, from general ethical questions on the handling of collections to digital transformation. We will also work together on specific projects to research the collections in Berlin and Oxford, which complement each other perfectly in terms of content."
Prof Anne Trefethen, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic Resources at the University of Oxford, added: "We are proud that the University of Oxford has been an internationally-focused university for centuries, and we want this to continue for centuries to come. This new partnership builds on ever closer co-operation between the Oxford and Berlin institutions. I am delighted that the many talented colleagues who care for the University's exceptional cultural collections will have the opportunity to work with their excellent colleagues in Berlin."
Last year, the University of Oxford signed a co-operation agreement with the four Berlin universities. The Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) of the University of Oxford include some of the most important collections in the world. Whilst they are important places for academic enquiry and research, they also provide access to an immense wealth of knowledge for the general public. Oxford's cultural institutions include the Bodleian Libraries, the Ashmolean Museum, the Museum of the History of Science, the Botanic Gardens, the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum.