The American Folk Art Museum aims to improve its digital presence and online user experience through updates to its databases, wikis, website usability, and social media engagement. Suggestions are provided to enhance interactives and education materials for different audiences. The presentation also discusses expanding mobile applications, collaborating more with other technology and art groups, and conducting additional user and staff research to further optimize the museum's online offerings.

1. The American
Folk Art Museum
Presentation delivered May 24, 2012
Sarah Harshman
Museum Informatics, LIS 697-09

2. 1. Databases and wikis
o Wikipedia updates
o Updates to follow
o library
o Suggestions for additional sections

3. 2. Usability and accessibility
o Browsers
o Webpage test
o 14.5 seconds to fully
o load even within East Coast
o Validator
o 51 Errors, 63 warnings
o mostly ids and alts
o Lynx
o too much Java!

4. 3. Interactives
o Personalization
o "Things you might like"
o Customization
o Bookmarking
o Forums
o "My Museum" for storing favorite
images and
o registering for upcoming events

5. 3a. Education
o Education
o audience
 varied
o materials
 group tours
 public programs
 programs for visitors with disabilities
 family programs
 resources for students and educators
 internships
o suggestions

6. 4. Social media usage
o Facebook
o 7,000 "Likes"
o Twitter
o almost 6,000 followers
o only 3 tweets about the museum
o YouTube
o long series done a few years ago
o Flikr
o Kickstarter
o Foursquare
o

7. 5. IT collaboration
o National groups
o AAM
o Local groups
o NYFA
o Other
o Folk Art Society of America

8. 6. Mobile applications
o Emulator
o nothing visible on example devices
o Mobi
o score of "2-Bad"
o Wifi
o spotty at best

9. 7. Continuing research
o Return to museum
o speak to visitors
o speak with IT, social media managers
o Social media
o theory
o comparisons
o discussion of visitor/employee talks
o suggestions

10. Questions and Discussion