Over the two days of June 25 and 26, the 29th meeting of The Council of University Museums and the 21st meeting of The Japanese Society for the Science of Museums were held at G-Lab on the 6th floor of the East Building on Keio University Mita Campus. This meeting, which brings together university museum professionals and researchers from across the country, was held at a private university for the first time.
On the first day, June 25, a symposium for the Council for University Museums was held. Representing the host institution, Juro Iwatani, Vice-President of Keio University, and Nozomi Ikeya, Director of Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo) and chairperson of the executive committee for this meeting, delivered opening remarks. In the symposium titled "Exhibitions in University Museums: The Museum as an Interface," Atsushi Matsunaga, Project Assistant Professor at Kanazawa University Museum; Takayuki Shiose, Associate Professor at The Kyoto University Museum; Yu Homma, Associate Professor at KeMCo; and Hiroshi Kumazawa, Professor at The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts took the stage. Yoko Watanabe, Professor at the Keio University Art Center (KUAC), served as the moderator. Following reports on unique cases from each university, the panel discussion in the second half featured a lively debate on how university museums should function as interfaces to deepen connections with society and students.
Next, lightning talks for poster presentations by The Japanese Society for the Science of Museums were held at the same venue. Presentations included Shizuoka University's efforts toward 3D model exhibitions of micro-materials and The Kyoto University Museum's proposal to address waste issues in exhibitions by reusing discarded panel materials. Additionally, The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts shared a case study on digital archiving work reflecting on the organization of approximately 1,700 paper documents, and The University Museum, the University of Tokyo introduced cases of implementing the latest technology, such as new developments in stereoscopic technology using 3D tablets and rotating model videos. Furthermore, a total of seven presentations involving diverse stakeholders were held, attracting high interest from participants. These included Nature and Science Museum, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology's practice of training student-led guides, Hiroshima University's new campus archaeological site maintenance integrating the museum, university, and students, and Tokyo University of the Arts' practice of interactive appreciation programs primarily for high school students. Afterward, an information exchange session was held at the Faculty Club on the 1st floor of the North Building, where participants enjoyed fellowship and exchanged opinions across academic fields.
On the second day, June 26, research presentations for The Japanese Society for the Science of Museums were held throughout the day. After the research presentations concluded, a tour of the museums on Mita Campus was conducted, and the entire two-day program came to a successful close.