Museum Use of Technology and the Web Great Example

Museum Use of Web and Tech: Great Examples : 

Museum Use of Web and Tech: Great Examples Lynn Ellsworth Creative Strategy Group 165 Duane Street New York, NY 10013 212-732-1025 lynnellsworth@verizon.net March, 2010 Prepared for Beit Hatfutsot and the Nadav Fund

Table of Contents : 

Table of Contents Websites Examples of technology inside museums that : Encourages conversation among visitors Creates engagement with the historical material Is just plain fun

1. Websites : 

1. Websites

Virtual Shtetel, Museum of the History of Polish Jews- Warsaw : 

Virtual Shtetel, Museum of the History of Polish Jews- Warsaw HomeTownsPeopleGalleryGlossaryBibliographyHelp --------- Dodaj This is a set of interactive tools used to build audience for not-yet-open museum Allows people to add photos and stories on an ongoing basis Several thousand contributions even before the museum opened Click her to visit www.

Churchill and the Great Republic : 

Churchill and the Great Republic MUSE winning website biography of Churchill, put out by Library of Congress exhibit at the same as exhibit of same title “Interactive, multi-tiered” site paints a complex portrait, not a hagiography Produced by Terra Incognita Productions Click on photo to visit the website

Centropa.org – brilliant, ever changing, and all online : 

Centropa.org – brilliant, ever changing, and all online Thanks to Shula for the heads up on this great site!

True North, Mapping Minnesota’s History : 

True North, Mapping Minnesota’s History Another hit from the innovators at the Minnesota Historical Society, click to website here Award -winning website Interactive, map-based, with photos and archived documents Users can add material Extensive and highly regarded lesson plans for teachers

Magnes Digital Programs and Memory Lab : 

Magnes Digital Programs and Memory Lab www.magnes.org Extensive use of social networking Collection-viewing tools Narrative archives and films all viewable online On-site person-to-person Memory Lab also allows people to create a digital notebook

What Was Where? A Dutch website : 

What Was Where? A Dutch website watwaswaar.nl offers historic information about every location in the Netherlands. By entering a postcode or name of a town, or by clicking on an area on the map, you start a journey through time. There is unique historic information hidden behind every location, such as old city and country maps, historic photo collections, building blueprints, and photos and data from the Land Registry.

Philadelphia History : 

Philadelphia History Web-based system for geographic search of historical photos from the archives of Philadelphia Municipality E-commerce capable Uses GIS technology to tag photos by location www.phillyhistory.org

StoryMap, Interactive MAP, Museum of Chinese in Americas, New York : 

StoryMap, Interactive MAP, Museum of Chinese in Americas, New York This site was created by Local Projects in New York for the Museum of the Chinese in Americas This is the best part of an otherwise very traditional “boring” museum People can add their own stories and photos to the map Click here to link to the website

Genealogy at Ellis Island Immigration Museum : 

Genealogy at Ellis Island Immigration Museum Computer terminals to research your ancestry If you want more, there is an onsite library with multiple research stations and an onsite researcher to help you

Discover Nikkei, Japanese American Museum of Los Angeles : 

Discover Nikkei, Japanese American Museum of Los Angeles Creative use of social networking tools to link worldwide diaspora of Japanese

Music History Website on the Corridos Tradition : 

Music History Website on the Corridos Tradition Prizewinner, a model for exhibiting a musical genre Reviewers said, “wonderful and compelling, giving the viewer a real experience” Combines audio with video, documentaries, photos, and other curatorial information Done by the Smithsonian as part of a travelling exhibit Includes a huge database on corridos performers Visitors can add resources to the site www.corridos.org (must have flash to explore this website)

2. Examples of Great Use of Technology Within the Museum : 

2. Examples of Great Use of Technology Within the Museum

“This Old Digital City”, Cedar Rapids, Iowa : 

“This Old Digital City”, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Giant 3D virtual reality theatre in which visitors explore changes in Cedar Rapids in two time periods. Can enter houses and touch objects virtually Immensely popular with visitors Historically accurate experience Smithsonian working to replicate idea elsewhere

Belmonte Interpretive Center, Portugal : 

Belmonte Interpretive Center, Portugal Example of high-tech attempt at participation and immersion via technology Ydreams - a design firm attempts what few have tried

Dynamic Timeline, Newark Museum, New Jersey : 

Dynamic Timeline, Newark Museum, New Jersey 2209 MUSE Award Winner, Developed by Michael Roper at KPC Experience Design who also did “The Well” Simple, yet effective display Less wordy and more visual than the Churchill Timeline

Newseum’s Ethics Table – Washington DC : 

Newseum’s Ethics Table – Washington DC Note similarity to Mattituck Museum’s Community Conversation Table Here used to create a newspaper - with ethics challenges - among teams of visitors

Second Story Interactives Design Firm : 

Second Story Interactives Design Firm Thi s design firm has numerous brilliant computer interactives under their belt . They do great storytelling Judges said of the “freedom of speech” interactive for the Chicago McCormick Freedom Project: “Makes users understand the value and significance of freedom” Click here to visit Second Story’s wonderful website where you can browse a video portfolio of award-winning projects

“Getting In” - Interactive Theatre Experience on Immigration : 

“Getting In” - Interactive Theatre Experience on Immigration Reviewers said, “stunningly effective use of technology” Allows visitors to advocate for particular immigrants and see whether or not they “get in” to the United States

“Living Museum” – a Project of the Museum of Jewish Heritage : 

“Living Museum” – a Project of the Museum of Jewish Heritage The “Living Museum” is an venue at the museum where fifth and sixth grade students in Jewish schools create virtual exhibitions of artifacts that represent their Jewish heritage. Through their individual, family, and class research, the students develop a strong appreciation for Jewish culture, community, and history.

Ancient Hampi Temple Experience, Museum Victoria, Australia : 

Ancient Hampi Temple Experience, Museum Victoria, Australia Multimedia, immersive “experiential” way to explore an ancient temple Tabletop light box above allows visitors to investigate and focus on details

“Manahatta” - Museum of the City of New York : 

“Manahatta” - Museum of the City of New York Beautiful, huge interactive digital reality map of Manhattan in 1640 Type in your address and see your street morph from what it looked like 400 years ago Gets visitors talking to discuss to explain how the city has changed

Wow! Tech : Ubiq Windows : 

Wow! Tech : Ubiq Windows

Wow! Tech: Holograms : 

Wow! Tech: Holograms

Slide 27: 

Athens, Greece The spectators visit the site of the Ancient Agora and, under the guidance of a special Museum Educator, have the opportunity to choose the course they will follow themselves.

Snibbe Interactives - a Technology Company : 

Snibbe Interactives - a Technology Company Click on the photo to see a video of a Snibbe Interactives environment

“Legendary Pirates” - an interactive kiosk at the for-profit Pirate Soul Museum, Key West, Florida : 

“Legendary Pirates” - an interactive kiosk at the for-profit Pirate Soul Museum, Key West, Florida Click on book for a video tour Meet 12 pirates in a mysterious, interactive book Award-winner Judges said, “excellent audio, high-end 3D graphics, digestible information with sense of discovery, easy to use with a game structure”