Emerging Technologies for Museums

Heather Marie Wells Education Technology Coordinator

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Agenda

• Who and what

• Key trends

• Significant challenges

• The technologies

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

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

Horizon Report

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.

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.

Significant Challenges

• Lack of technical infrastructure & trained staff.

• Understanding the intended audience.

• How to evaluate impact of technology.

“The future is already here – its just not very evenly distributed.”  

- William Gibson (Sci-fi/Technology author)

The Technologies

0 - 1 years 2 - 3 years 4 - 5 years

2010 Social Media Mobiles

Augmented Reality Location-based

Services

Gesture Computing

Semantic Web

2011 Mobile Apps Tablets

Augmented Reality E-Publishing

Digital Preservation

Smart Objects

Rele

vanc

e

0

2

4

6

8

10

Accessibility

2 4 6 8 10

Augmented RealityGesture UISemantic WebDigital PreservationE-PublishingSmart ObjectsLocation ServicesMobile & TabletsSocial Media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Technologies

0 - 1 years 2 - 3 years 4 - 5 years

2010 Social Media Mobiles

Augmented Reality Location-based

Services

Gesture Computing

Semantic Web

2011 Mobile Apps Tablets

Augmented Reality E-Publishing

Digital Preservation

Smart Objects

Take Aways• Make your content portable

• Start simple

• Start with something inexpensive

• Don't try to do everything

• Consider partnerships and third parties

Thank You for ComingHeather Marie Wells

Education Technology Coordinator Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art HeatherMarie.Wells@CrystalBridges.org

Image Credits

• Johnson, L., Witchey, H., Smith, R., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2010). The 2010 Horizon Report: Museum Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Cover photograph by Mike Baird. Creative Commons Attribution License.

• Johnson, L., Witchey, H., and Adams, S., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Cover photograph © wxin/123RF. Creative Commons.

• William Gibson photograph by Gonzo Bonzo, March 2008.

• Semantic web photograph by Opte Project, November 2003. www.opte.org

• The Course of Empire Destruction from Wikimedia Commons.

• "John Underkoffler points to the future of UI," TEDTalk, February 2010. Full talk available at TED.com

• Augmented Reality at Museu de Mataro by Kippelboy, April 2012