The network's objective is to strengthen cooperation and professional exchange between Norwegian museums and other institutions that work with technology and industrial history. The purpose is to collect, manage, research, disseminate and renew Norwegian technological and industrial history, as well as document how technology and industry are constantly changing in society. Today there are around 15 active participating museums in the network. It is managed by The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology .
Publications and documentation
Since 2005, the museums have worked together to develop www.industrimuseum.no. This is an important publication channel for the work the museums have done locally. Texts and content about various projects are published here. Today Industrimuseum.no contains approx. 1,200 small and large company history articles linked to content for DigitaltMuseum and other relevant information sites. Now the network is working to find a solution to transfer the content from Industrimuseum.no to Digitaltmuseum.no.
The network meets for seminars twice a year. The network gatherings are important arenas for discussing academic topics and getting professional input from internal and external speakers. Since its inception, the network has collaborated with the National Network for Labor History and Worker Culture.
Current projects:
Network for technology and industrial history currently leads the project Sustainable Energy Narratives .
The project puts the museums' historical and contemporary mandate at the center and examines how this can be used critically to develop new narratives about energy and industry.
The project's starting point is that the museums are not passive retellers of energy and industrial history, but are actively involved in creating it. The aim is to increase understanding of how energy and industry have been organised, communicated and made public knowledge through the museums' narratives. Read more about the project here
The network participates in a larger research project "Part-time work in a Nordic perspective", led by the National Network for Labor History and Worker Culture.
The network also collaborates with SIKA (Norwegian Museums Association - section for industry, communication and facilities) with the various museums and agencies that work on this topic. The aim is to obtain an overview of all previous documentation within industry, communications and construction, which has not yet been registered, digitized and made available.
All institutions and museums that work with technology and industry are most welcome to join the network.
Industrial documentation and company archives in focus
Who documents and preserves, and how is it made available and disseminated?
In 2017 and 2018, SIKA was awarded funds from the Norwegian Museums Association for a project to survey what had been done with industrial documentation and prepare a simple guide in the area with tips and advice on how this can be carried out.
In collaboration with SIKA (Section for industry, communication and facilities in the Norwegian Museums Association), Technology and the Industry Network also contributed to this work. Here you can read the report that was completed in autumn 2019 and see an overview of the documentation .
