ME AND MUSEUM

MUSEUM LIBRARIANS What’s wrong with museum libraries ? Libraries and museums both have similar missions: they acquire, describe and make accessible records of human experience. But what is the perceived importance of a library within a museum? The role of museum libraries could be described in special library terms – to provide information to support the activities of the museum, especially its research – and one could assume that such libraries do play an important role in their information-intensive organisations. However, the status of museum libraries, as well as their influence, is less clear than this. In 1996 Esther Bierbaum published an article on this subject, based on a survey of 152 r andomly selected museum libraries2. Her conclusion was that museum libraries do not fare well within their parent organisations. There are several measures of departmental status within an organization. One is funding; another, staffing and services, and a third is utilization. By the fi...

* From the Kom tribe of Manipur Kom is an important tribal group among the 33 Scheduled Tribes of Manipur. They are found largely in Churachandpur & Chandel and Senapati districts of Manipur. From the available oral tradition of the tribe, they believed that their ancestors have come out to present land from the Khurpui (a cave) by piercing a ferocious tiger that stood on their way. This is well reflected in their folk songs, myths and legends. Kom tribe of Khoirentak village are fondly referred to as the turbaned people by the neighbouring villages of Manipur valley because they adorn their Lukom (traditional turban) symbolizing a prestigious head dress among every male of the tribe. The tradition of erecting memorial pillar as a symbol of status for a noble or rich person in a village was prevalent among the Kom tribe of Manipur in their ancient past. Such kind of memorial pillar, traditionally known as Saling  represents a unique structure o...

* From the Meitei cosmological beliefs Oral tradition occupies an important place among the folk and indigenous societies. These oral treasures, belief system and practices are deeply woven into the life and culture of Meitei people. One such folk belief concerning the Koubru Mountain whom they believe as their guardian deity controlling the Northern direction. It is believed that earlier there was a vast expanse of water and earth was submerged in the water. At the time of creation, the Taibang Panba Mapu (creator) drawn up the earth to form hills. These hills were Koubru, Nongmaijing, Thangjing and Wangbrel which forms the foundation of the world. Koubru was the first to be drawn and represents the head in the bio-physical structure of the land. Rivers originated from these hills forms the arteries of the body and Loktak Lake as the pelvic zone. After the divine creation when the water gets gradually receded, extension of the valley settlement took place. The place where first ...