Reaching out: museums, crowdsourcing and

participatory heritage

Mia Ridge, @mia_outDigital Curator, British Library

Museoalan Teemapäivät 2016 Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, September 2016

https://www.flickr.com/photos/statensarkiver/8975684669

The 'definitions' bit

Crowdsourcing as participatory heritage

Impact and challenges

Key examples and guidelines for designing crowdsourcing projects

'Museums with impact don't just happen'.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/slsarkiva/7928863426/

What is crowdsourcing?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/slsarkiva/7928955696/

Jeff Howe and Mark Robinson, 2006: 'taking a function once performed by employees and outsourcing it to an undefined (and generally large) network of people in the form of an open call'

What is crowdsourcing?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/slsarkiva/7928955696/

Cognitive surplus (Clay Shirky): 'the spare processing power of millions of human brains'

Jeff Howe and Mark Robinson, 2006: 'taking a function once performed by employees and outsourcing it to an undefined (and generally large) network of people in the form of an open call'

Crowdsourcing in cultural heritage

Asking the public to help with tasks that contribute to a shared, significant goal or research interest related to cultural heritage collections or knowledge.

Asking the public to help with tasks that contribute to a shared, significant goal or research interest related to cultural heritage collections or knowledge.

The activities and/or goals should be inherently rewarding.

Crowdsourcing in cultural heritage

Basically...

Transforming input content into output content ...via a powerful purpose and / or enjoyable tasks that people want to help you

with

Heritage crowdsourcing as volunteering

https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/4659373140

...but convenient

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdevaunphotography/8456110245/ by Jason Devaun

...often 'microtasks'

http://familysearch.org/

1857, 1879 Oxford English Dictionary appeals

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/02/james-murray/

Why ask the public to help?

Create meaningful experiences

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmediamuseum/8416664366/

Provide opportunities for learning

https://www.flickr.com/photos/slsarkiva/7928931142

Key examples and guidelines for designing crowdsourcing projects

reCAPTCHA

DigiTalkoot

NLA Trove: OCR correction

http://trove.nla.gov.au/

Rewards reinforce motivation

NYPL 'What's on the Menu?'

Tiny, enjoyable tasks

Simple tasks to build skills

http://www.fossilfinder.org/

http://www.bl.uk/maps/

Niche projects are effective

Motivations as design guidelines

Jane McGonigal - people crave:• satisfying work to do• the experience of being

good at something• time spent with people

we like• the chance to be a part

of something bigger

State Library of New South Waleshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/29454428@N08/2880982738

Good text links to motivations

'With a few keystrokes, you could bring a family together'

'We know the names of these children; can you help us tell their stories?'

'Kill Time. Make History.'

'Historians need your help!'

Defining impact: productivity

Defining impact: reach

http://community.zooniverse.org/

Defining impact: engagement

Crowdsourcing as 'stepping stones'

http://herbariaunited.org/atHome/

Participant discussion

http://oldweather.org/

Communities of practice as 'social learning systems'

Challenges

https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/3072281873

The growth of platforms

Window shopping

https://www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/6841092248

Design is part of recruitment

Onboarding, tutorials built into the interfaceFeedback on progress towards goalsSkills matched to challengeLow risk of failure

Design for casual and super-contributors

http://blog.oldweather.org

Task complexity vs audience size

https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2162650585

'no plan survives contact with the crowd'

With apologies to Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

End-to-end workflows

Planning a graceful exithttps://www.flickr.com/photos/fylkesarkiv/4545543824

From 'for' to 'with'

#party host

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/5786204856

Crowdsourcing as hosting a party

Kiitos.Questions?

Dr Mia Ridge @mia_outDigital Curator, British Library

Museoalan Teemapäivät 2016 Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, September 2016