Digital Heritage in Museums. How to get it right?
This document discusses best practices for using digital media in museums. It outlines how museums have evolved from being places where objects, people and information come together on site, to also connecting with audiences off site through online platforms. It emphasizes the importance of understanding audience needs and goals for any digital initiative. Key questions are posed around who the museum wants to reach, where the audience will be, what the museum hopes to achieve, and whether a digital approach is actually necessary. A variety of digital tools are briefly outlined, including websites, social media, and online collections databases, noting both opportunities and challenges to improving access to collection data online. The document stresses that museums do not need all the answers up front and should ask questions and learn through trial
Digital Heritage in Museums. How to get it right?
- 1. Digital Media in Museums How to get it right? Merel van der Vaart 4 April 2013
- 2. About me: I enjoy working on the crossroads of online & off-line, on-site & off-site. So far my experiences have varied from making exhibitions to running workshops, from giving tours of a physical space to setting up social media projects. I have worked in research environments & have done ¡®front line¡¯ heritage jobs (as in actually speaking to visitors).
- 3. This is how I see ¡®the museum¡¯ A place where people, objects & information come together. people information objects
- 4. And this is the bit I¡¯m most interested in. people information objects
- 5. off-site online offline on-site Ross Parry & Nadia Arbach In: Cameron & Kenderine (eds.) ¡®Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage¡¯ (MIT Press: 2007)
- 6. off-site web sites 'outreach' online offline in-gallery internet traditional connections / live labels museum visit on-site Ross Parry & Nadia Arbach In: Cameron & Kenderine (eds.) ¡®Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage¡¯ (MIT Press: 2007)
- 7. These days it¡¯s a bit more like this: off-site 'outreach' web sites apps online social media offline in-gallery internet traditional connections / live labels museum visit on-site
- 8. This is the bit we¡¯ll be looking at. off-site 'outreach' web sites apps online social media offline in-gallery internet traditional connections / live labels museum visit on-site
- 9. Who do you want to reach? Where will they be?
- 10. Where will they be? Family playing Beestenbende game at the University Museum, Utrecht
- 11. Where will they be? Me halfway up Mt. Snowdon (Wales) Family playing Beestenbende game at the University Museum, Utrecht
- 12. What do you want to achieve? Wat does your audience want?
- 13. What do you want to achieve? marketing basic information engaging with collection
- 14. Does it have to be digital? Are you sure? Why?
- 15. Who do you want to reach? Where will they be? What do you want to achieve? Think about your audience. Does it have to be digital? Why?
- 16. Websites Social Media Online catalogues Here¡¯s a list of the websites we¡¯ve looked at: https://www.diigo.com/list/merelvaart/4-aril-2013
- 17. Websites Social Media Online catalogues Here¡¯s a list of the social media we¡¯ve looked at: https://www.diigo.com/list/merelvaart/4-april-2013-social-m
- 22. Websites Social Media Online catalogues Here¡¯s a list of the catalogues we¡¯ve looked at: https://www.diigo.com/list/merelvaart/4-april-2013-online-c
- 23. ¡°While many museum websites now support online access to their collection databases, the speed of the digitization process has not generally been reciprocated by a review of data quality.¡± Fiona Cameron & Helena Robinson In: Cameron & Kenderine (eds.) ¡®Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage¡¯ (MIT Press: 2007)
- 24. ¡°In the past, collection databases functioned as internal museum tools for the almost exclusive use of collection managers and curators.¡± Fiona Cameron & Helena Robinson In: Cameron & Kenderine (eds.) ¡®Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage¡¯ (MIT Press: 2007)
- 25. Who do you want to reach? Where will they be? What do you want to achieve? Does it have to be digital? Why?
- 26. You don¡¯t have to know everything. Ask questions. Make mistakes.