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