Changing Museums
October 26, 2008 katdp3
The more museums cooperate and engage the public the better. To do that, technology needs to be at the forefront. Whether through blogs, wikis or tags, museums need to get their act together. To encourage the public to be excited and intrigued by what museums have to offer, museum personnel have to understand and be educated in using the Internet, and offer as many possibilities they can to interest people to look at what they have or come in and visit. To attract new audiences, as mentioned in the “Steve.museum” article, new strategies for user “engagement” that build community and a following is a major goal.
Social participation, even from remote locations, can be a great pick up if the technology is offered on a mass scale. Museums can offer tags, which allow participants to label artifacts in simple terms allowing others to locate and find museum pieces easier than before. Personal connections between multiple audiences can only increase accessibility and communication. To provide a crucial dialogue should be a requirement as a means to stay modern and involved with the community at large.
As mandated by the DCHI survey, museum staff need to be trained with technology and kept in the loop to understand terms such as tags, blogs, wikis, and podcasts. This is priority number one I believe.
Case Study: The Museum of Underwater Archaeology—-was created to help underwater archaeologists and maritime historians present their research to public. The site provides exhibits, project journals, in the field expeditions, blogs and maritime news. Connecting to Americans of all ages, about the past and current artifacts, this Museum is unbelievably involved cultural landscapes, education and solving water mysteries. The site also posts a blog for individuals to comment on recent discoveries and current available information.
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