An examination of the emerging technologies that are expected to have a large impact in the museum world during the coming five years. Looking at the 2010 and 2011 Museum Edition of the Horizon Report. I give insights into which of these technologies I think are best suited to Arkansas museums given key trends and significant challenges.
HMCS Vancouver Pre-Deployment Brief - May 2024 (Web Version).pptx
Emerging Technologies for Museums
1. Emerging Technologies for Museums
Heather Marie Wells
Education Technology Coordinator
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
2. Agenda
• Who and what
• Key trends
• Significant challenges
• The technologies
3. The New Media Consortium
• International community of experts
• Colleges, universities, museums, research centers, etc.
• Mission: to help members stay at the leading edge of
technology
• Research, publications, conferences, and workshops
4. MIDEA
• Edward and Betty Marcus
Institute for Digital Education in
the Arts, founded in 2009
• Meets the needs of art
museums, university arts and
museum education programs
• Severs museum professionals
through research, training, and
resources regarding the
application of technology in
interpretation and education
6. Key Trends
• It's expected.
• Rich media is a valuable.
• Abundance is challenging.
• Visitors want an active role.
• Desire of access to
collections data.
• Expectations of civic/social
engagement.
7. Significant Challenges
• Content production is not keeping up with
technology & expectations.
• Need for comprehensive digital strategy.
• Funding not included in operational budgets.
• Decision makers not recognize the importance of
technology.
8. Significant Challenges
• Lack of technical infrastructure & trained staff.
• Understanding the intended audience.
• How to evaluate impact of technology.
9. “The future is already here – its just not very evenly distributed.”
- William Gibson (Sci-fi/Technology author)
10. The Technologies
0 - 1 years 2 - 3 years 4 - 5 years
Augmented Reality
Gesture
Social Media
2010 Location-based Computing
Mobiles
Services Semantic Web
Digital
Mobile Apps
Augmented Reality
2011 Preservation
Tablets E-Publishing
Smart Objects
11. 10
8
Augmented Reality
Gesture UI
Semantic Web
6
Relevance
Digital Preservation
E-Publishing
Smart Objects
4 Location Services
Mobile & Tablets
Social Media
2
0
2 4 6 8 10
Accessibility
12. Semantic Web
• Allow meaning to be inferred
from content & context and
structured in a meaningful
way
• Conceptualized in the 1960s
• Create a reconnection of
context
• Examples: tagging for blogs
and images, "smart" ads
13. Digital Preservation
• Preserving the ability to
access data
• Library of Alexandria
• Remaining accessible
in the future
• DigitalPreservation.gov
by Library of Congress,
the Digital Preservation
Coalition
14. Gesture-based Computing
• Nintendo Wii (2006), iPhone
(2007), Microsoft Kinect (2010),
PlayStation Move (2010)
• Original basic research done in
the early 1960s. PDAs in the
early 1990s. Plug-ins for
browsers in the late 1990s.
• Simulated interaction with
objects
• The Create a Chemical Reaction
table at the Museum of Science
and Industry in Chicago
15. Smart Objects
• Often non-intrusive, small object
requiring no batteries, capable of
holding versatile data
• RFID explored in research papers
in the 1940s, first true device
patented in 1973; QR codes came
in the 1990s
• Endless possibilities for anytime
you want to share or exchange
data
• Old Independence Regional
Museum, Shiloh Museum of Ozark
History, Crystal Bridges
16. Augmented Reality
• Blending data with what we see
in the real world.
• Roots in the 1960s and by the
1990s very popular for
visualization, training, etc.
• Way to provide additional
content, bring the past back to
life, interact with objects you
usually can't touch
• Nelson-Atkins & Beyond Planet
Earth by American Natural
History Museum
17. Location-based Services
• Content customized to user's location
• GPS commercially available in the 80s, but took off in 2000 when
the military opened the accuracy
• Extend physical reach, connect people, advertising/marketing
• Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources,
and American Museum of Natural History
18. E-Publishing
• Publishing in digital formats
• Project Gutenburg started
in 1971, CD- ROMs in the
1980s, and the .epub
format in 2007.
• Repurpose existing
content, inexpensive,
various distribution outlets
• Crystal Bridges
19. Social Media
• Engaging groups of people to
interact with each other and with,
about, and through media
• Does anyone remember listservs
and discussion forms?
• Inexpensive, not time consuming,
and used for a variety of aspects
• Shiloh Museum of Ozark,
Museum of Discovery, and
Clinton Library
20. Mobiles and Apps
• Connected to the
Internet
• Cellphones became
commercial in the 1980s
• In the pocket of every
user
• Old State House, AAM,
University of Virginia Art
Museum
21. Tablets
• Less disruptive and bigger
screen
• Portable laptop systems
came in 1980s, but concept
came about in 1960s
• Connected or not, good for
group work
• Crystal Bridges, MoMA AB
EX NY, Minneapolis Institute
of Arts
22. The Technologies
0 - 1 years 2 - 3 years 4 - 5 years
Augmented Reality
Gesture
Social Media
2010 Location-based Computing
Mobiles
Services Semantic Web
Digital
Mobile Apps
Augmented Reality
2011 Preservation
Tablets E-Publishing
Smart Objects
23. Take Aways
• Make your content portable
• Start simple
• Start with something inexpensive
• Don't try to do everything
• Consider partnerships and third parties
24. Thank You for Coming
Heather Marie Wells
Education Technology Coordinator
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
HeatherMarie.Wells@CrystalBridges.org