Moreover, many of them are in need of repair and reorganization. A report by director of the Department of the Ancient World A. A. Trofimova analyzed the experience of working with displays on the Ancient World within the historic interiors of the New Hermitage. The lively discussion which followed demonstrated that development of the permanent displays is an issue which concerns not only members of the Academic Council but also many other employees of the Hermitage, beginning with the curators. The heated discussion resulted in a proposal from director of the Oriental Department G.L. Semenov that competitions be arranged for the best designs of permanent displays. The opinions put forward were often diametrically opposed, but nearly all those present agreed that it is necessary to put in place a strategy for developing the displays, that long-range planning is needed, and that there should be a set of coherent principles guiding the museum's informational efforts and mutually agreed activities by all involved subdivisions: curators, the hospitality service, designers, the departments of major repairs and operations. In order to coordinate and plan such work, and to develop a strategy for further development of the permanent displays, it was decided to create a Commission on Development of Permanent Displays under the chairmanship of Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky.
Among current issues examined at the session of the Academic Council was the annual report on research work during 2005. Employees of the Hermitage were responsible for 500 publications in 2005, including 40 catalogues and 6 monographs. Three doctoral dissertations were submitted for degree awards. The museum also organized 18 conferences, including 5 international conferences in which scholars from Western Europe and the USA took part.
