Guns, germs, and public history: A conversation with Jennifer Tucker.

In this wide-ranging conversation, historians David Serlin (UC San Diego) and Jennifer Tucker (Wesleyan University) discuss the role of material culture and visual media in shaping how museums communicate histories of science and technology. Tucker describes recent a public history project focused on 19th-century histories of firearms and gun regulation in light of contemporary debates about the Second Amendment "right to bear arms." Serlin and Tucker conclude by speculating about possible curatorial directions for a future public history exhibit focused on the social and cultural impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020.

Prevention of SARS-COV-2 coronavirus spread at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland. The most visited Memorial site in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: At the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (A-BSM) actions have been undertaken to effectively protect employees and minimise risk of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus spreading from the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic. AIM OF THE ARTICLE: The aim was to present the actions, instructions and procedures introduced at the A-BSM to provide information how to deal with pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in institutions taking care of cultural heritage before and after closure of the Museum for visitors and after reopening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The described activities were developed at the Museum by a specially established Expert Team. RESULTS: Groups of employees and places in which they were most exposed to contact with visitors and, as a consequence, at the highest risk of getting infected, were characterised. The employees were provided with personal protective equipment, and at the Museum site, devices essential for maintaining the microbiological cleanliness of the rooms, were placed. In the next stage, instructions and procedures for particular groups of employees were prepared. Visitors were educated about the need of taking precautions and were allowed to disinfect in several places at the Memorial Site. Steps to reduce attendance at this time has also been taken. Procedures for employees of the A-BSM were developed in such way that they can also be used after reopening of the Museum for visitors. CONCLUSIONS: The actions which ensured the microbiological safety of the A-BSM employees, brought satisfying results. In more than 21 days after closing of the Museum for visitors, no cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 were found among employees, despite a very high threat.

A Space of One's Own: Barbosa du Bocage, the Foundation of the National Museum of Lisbon, and the Construction of a Career in Zoology (1851-1907).

This paper discusses the life and scientific work of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823-1907), a nineteenth-century Portuguese naturalist who carved a new place for zoological research in Portugal and built up a prestigious scientific career by securing appropriate physical and institutional spaces to the discipline. Although he was appointed professor of zoology at the Lisbon Polytechnic School, an institution mainly devoted to the preparatory training of military officers and engineers, he succeeded in creating the conditions that allowed him to develop consistent research in zoology at this institution. Taking advantage of the reconstruction and further improvement of the building of the Lisbon Polytechnic, following a violent fire in 1843, Bocage transferred a natural history museum formerly located at the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon to his institution, where he conquered a more prestigious place for zoology. Although successive governments were unwilling to meet Bocage's ambitions for the Zoological Section of the newly created National Museum of Lisbon, the collaborators he found in different parts of the Portuguese continental territory and colonial empire supplied him the specimens he needed to make a career as a naturalist. Bocage ultimately became a renowned specialist in Southwestern African fauna thanks to José de Anchieta, his finest collaborator. Travels to foreign museums, and the establishment of links with the international community of zoologists, proved fundamental to build up Bocage's national and international scientific reputation, as it will be exemplified by the discussion of his discovery of Hyalonema, a specimen with a controversial identity collected off the Portuguese coast.

Evaluation of virtual tour in an online museum: Exhibition of Architecture of the Forbidden City.

Online virtual museum tours combine museum authority and an academic approach with the diversity and interactivity of online resources; such tours have become an essential resource for online scientific research and education. Many important museums around the world are developing this type of online service. Comprehensive evaluation of such tours is, however, urgently needed to ensure effectiveness. This paper establishes a heuristic evaluation scale based on the literature. Taking the online virtual tour of the Exhibition of Architecture of the Forbidden City as a case study, confirmatory factor analysis was then carried out to improve the scale. Interviews were conducted to discuss and analyze the research results. The developed evaluation scale has four dimensions: authenticity, interaction, navigation, and learning. The results from the case study showed, first, that the exhibition had visual authenticity, but the behavioral authenticity was insufficient; second, the exhibition was generally interactive, but this aspect could be improved by enriching the links; third, the lack of effective navigation design for the exhibit was the main factor affecting experience quality. Fourth, the exhibition was informative and supported learning, but needs further improvement to the quantity and quality of information provided. Finally, the interviews revealed that the online exhibition did not entirely support people of different ages and abilities, so it needs further improvement to be wholly inclusive.

Museum Moving to Inpatients: Le Louvre à l'Hôpital.

Anxiety and depressive symptoms are common in hospitalized patients. Arts and cultural programs were reported to enhance their quality of life. The Le Louvre à l'hôpital study presents a new approach in which the museum moves to the hospital by displaying and discussing artworks with patients interactively. Over one year, four large statues were disposed in the hospital gardens, 30 reprints of large painting were exhibited in the hospital hall, dining rooms, and circulations areas. A total of 83 small-group guided art discussions (90 min) were organized, which 451 patients attended. The 200 small-size reproductions of paintings placed in the patients' rooms were chosen based on their individual preferences. Decreased anxiety after the art sessions was reported by 160 of 201 patients (79.6%). Out of 451 patients, 406 (90%) said the art program had met their expectations, and 372 (82.4%) wished to continue the experience with caregivers (162 paramedics trained for art activity during 66 workshops). In conclusion, moving the museum to the hospital constitutes a valuable way to provide art activities for inpatients in large numbers, which may reduce hospital-related anxiety in many instances.

Keeping the light on - Nursing history center in Ceará - NUDIHMEn.

OBJECTIVE: To share the implementation of the Center for Documentation, Information, History and Memory of Nursing in Ceará - NUDIHMEn and its achievements in caring for, producing and preserving the history and the memory of Nursing in Ceará. METHOD: It is an experience report regarding the work carried out in NUDIHMEN from 2009 to 2017. RESULTS: The NUDIHMEn holds a database of 1,454 newspaper articles, mapped data of 35 manuscript volumes of the Ecclesiastical History of Ceará about Nursing precursors, in addition to 23 minutes books from the Fortaleza Santa Casa (1879 to 1970), documentation belonging to the São Vicente de Paulo Nursing School, 8 scanned minutes books from the UECE Nursing Course, among other research resources. CONCLUSION: The NUDIHMEn provides records on Nursing history in Ceará for knowledge, socialization and scientific production of the community concerned.

Museums, health and wellbeing research: co-developing a new observational method for people with dementia in hospital contexts.

AIMS: The aim of this article is to present a new observational tool for assessing the impacts of museum object handling for people with moderate-to-severe dementia in hospital settings, focusing on wellbeing, social interaction, level of engagement and agitation. This article presents a four-step approach to collaboration towards co-developing the tool, which involved a range of academics, museums professionals, and health and social care partners, and describes the process of integrating multiple perspectives towards common research methodologies. METHODS: The research team organised a series of meetings and workshops with museum and healthcare partners to identify commonly used assessments and their perspectives on the objectives and possible outcomes of museum object handling activities. These were integrated with findings from a review of current conceptualisations of engagement in people with dementia (PWD) to produce a fit-for-purpose video evaluation method of the health and wellbeing impacts of the museum object handling programmes. RESULTS: This article presents the Museum Engagement Observation Tool for use in hospital settings for people with moderate-to-severe dementia. CONCLUSION: This article suggests that collaborative approaches can inform the development of future methods for creative health research and evaluation initiatives and to support this, it outlines the process of development of a new observational tool for people with dementia.

Keeping the light on - Nursing history center in Ceará - NUDIHMEn / Manteniendo la lámpara encendida - Núcleo de historia de la enfermería en Ceará - NUDIHMEn / Mantendo a lâmpada acesa - Núcleo de história da enfermagem no Ceará - NUDIHMEn

ABSTRACT Objective: To share the implementation of the Center for Documentation, Information, History and Memory of Nursing in Ceará - NUDIHMEn and its achievements in caring for, producing and preserving the history and the memory of Nursing in Ceará. Method: It is an experience report regarding the work carried out in NUDIHMEN from 2009 to 2017. Results: The NUDIHMEn holds a database of 1,454 newspaper articles, mapped data of 35 manuscript volumes of the Ecclesiastical History of Ceará about Nursing precursors, in addition to 23 minutes books from the Fortaleza Santa Casa (1879 to 1970), documentation belonging to the São Vicente de Paulo Nursing School, 8 scanned minutes books from the UECE Nursing Course, among other research resources. Conclusion: The NUDIHMEn provides records on Nursing history in Ceará for knowledge, socialization and scientific production of the community concerned.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Socializar la creación del Núcleo de Documentación, Información, Historia y Memoria de la Enfermería en Ceará - NUDIHMEn y sus conquistas en la lucha por el cuidar, producir y preservar la historia y la memoria de la Enfermería cearense. Método: Se trata de un relato de experiencia sobre el trabajo realizado en el NUDIHMEN durante el período comprendido entre 2009 y 2017. Resultados: El NUDIHMEn posee un banco de datos con 1.454 artículos de periódicos, datos mapeados de 35 volúmenes manuscritos de la Historia Eclesiástica de Ceará sobre los precursores de la Enfermería, además de 23 libros del Acta de la Santa Casa en Fortaleza (1879 a 1970), documentos pertenecientes a la Escuela de Enfermería São Vicente de Paulo, 8 libros de actas digitalizados del Curso de Enfermería de la UECE, entre otros materiales provenientes de investigaciones realizadas. Conclusión: El NUDIHMEn coloca a disposición diversos registros sobre la Historia de la Enfermería en Ceará para el conocimiento, la socialización y la producción científica de la comunidad interesada.

RESUMO Objetivo: Socializar a criação do Núcleo de Documentação, Informação, História e Memória da Enfermagem no Ceará - NUDIHMEn e suas conquistas na luta pelo cuidar, produzir e preservar a história e a memória da Enfermagem cearense. Método: Trata-se de um relato de experiência acerca do trabalho realizado no NUDIHMEN no período de 2009 a 2017. Resultados: O NUDIHMEn acumula um banco de dados com 1.454 artigos de jornais, dados mapeados de 35 volumes manuscritos da História Eclesiástica do Ceará sobre precursores da Enfermagem, além de 23 livros de Ata da Santa Casa em Fortaleza (1879 a 1970), documentação pertencente à Escola de Enfermagem São Vicente de Paulo, 8 livros de atas digitalizados do Curso de Enfermagem da UECE, entre outros materiais de pesquisas realizadas. Conclusão: O NUDIHMEn disponibiliza registros sobre a História da Enfermagem no Ceará para conhecimento, socialização e produção científica da comunidade interessada.