Finding the skills for tomorrow: Information literacy and museum information professionals

This paper presents results from 21 semi-structured interviews with museum information professionals who were asked about their experiences working with information resources, tools, and technologies in museums. The interviews were analyzed to develop an understanding of the information literacy skills of museum information professionals. This paper presents the results of this analysis, and discusses the state of information literacy in museums, and the increasing need for museum information professionals to possess information literacy skills. The results illustrate how information literacy is defined by information professionals in museums, and how perceptions of information literacy and its importance to museums have changed over time.     

Museum professionals and the relevance of LIS expertise

This article presents results from a survey designed to assess the relevance of library and information science (LIS) expertise—here defined as those topics typically, but not exclusively, taught in LIS programs—for museum professionals. The topics covered in this article are information representation, information organization and access, information management, computer technologies, digitization technologies, interactive technologies, information policy, evaluation methods, and collaboration initiatives. An online survey assessed the degree to which museum professionals possess skills in these topics, perform work in these topics, and consider these topics important for future study. The article examines the relative value of each topic for museum professionals and discusses the importance of strengthening relationships between LIS and museum studies by better understanding the relevance of LIS expertise in museums.     

浅谈博物馆在城市文化中的作用和地位

随着我国社会经济的迅速发展,博物馆在城市文化中的地位和作用日益突出。博物馆是重要的社会信息资源;是城市的文化名片;在社区生活中发挥着重要的作用;是新时期的爱国主义教育基地。     

Killing a culture softly: Corporate partnership with a Russian museum

Information communications technology provides a way on the World Wide Web for national museums to represent the cultural artefacts they house. Framed by the notion of cybercolonization, a colonizing of cultures and cultural institutions by computing ideas, this on-site case study of the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia examines computing ideas shaping information communications technology developments within the museum and, particularly, its current IBM sponsored website 〈http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/〉. The paper will illuminate subtle cybercolonizing influences by Global IBM evident in the website structure, design, targeting, esthetic choices, cultural content realignment, IBM corporate e-business underlay, and American English branding. The notion of cyberglocalization, an adapting of global cyber processes to local circumstances, is offered as an avenue to address colonization present in the Hermitage-IBM website. The case study offers museum professionals an illustration of the underlying assumptions about information communications technology (ICT) ideas, interaction, and appearance in the development of museum websites.     

Interpretation and the Role of the Viewer in Museums of Modern and Contemporary Art

Abstract What does the term “interpretation” mean when it's encountered in museums of modern and contemporary art — and is something missing? Studies conducted by the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the University of Leicester in England reveal that visitors want more information about art. In this article, interviews with the directors of the Phillips and the Walker (as well as other museum professionals and academics) examine interpretative practices today and suggest plans for tomorrow. When preparing future interpretive materials, the author advocates that museums expose visitors to the idea that they make their own meaning when viewing art.     

Communication workers in Spain: The reward of appearance

This article presents the views of rank‐and‐file Spanish journalists about working conditions for media professionals in Spain, based on interviews conducted in 1996.     

Engaging the Experts in Museum Computing: Seven Years of Queries on MCN‐L

MCN‐L, an email listserv administered by the Museum Computer Network, is open to anyone interested in discussing information technology in museums and other cultural heritage organizations. To determine how MCN‐L meets the needs of museum information professionals, this study presents an analysis of more than 6,000 emails sent to the listserv over a seven‐year period (2004–2011). The results of this analysis indicate that MCN‐L adds value to the online community of museum information professionals by providing an online communication channel focused on professional outreach and expert support, backed up by specific examples drawn from personal experiences. MCN‐L's emphasis on personal expertise is a key characteristic that speaks to the listserv's lasting value to the museum community and has implications for researchers and practitioners as they consider the future of computer‐mediated communication for all museum professionals.     

My lost museum: User expectations and motivations for creating personal digital collections on museum websites

The recent development of personal digital collections systems on museum websites has prompted researchers to examine the motivations and expectations of museum visitors as they interact with those systems. Results from an online survey completed by visitors to six different museum websites show that users of personal digital collections systems are primarily motivated by a desire to create simple collections of objects and images, and are less influenced by the more complicated features museums have implemented to encourage user participation. The significance of these findings is explored through a discussion of user expectations and motivations with respect to creating personal digital collections, and an attempt is made to reconcile some of the disparities between the perceptions of survey respondents and the experiences of museum professionals developing and implementing personal digital collections systems.     

Relationships, trust and learning: experiences of emerging professionals working in collecting institutions

When emerging professionals start working in archival institutions, libraries and museums (also referred to as collecting institutions), they bring knowledge and skills gained through internships, formal study, volunteer activities and previous work experience. They learn new processes quickly, are passionate about working with holdings or collections and are keen to build their knowledge. They gain exposure to the different disciplines that are reflected in the roles of archival institutions, libraries and museums as they build their professional identity and consider future career directions. What else do they need? A research study about the experiences of a group of individuals embarking on first or subsequent careers and starting new positions in collecting institutions found that relationships were an essential component in developing their skills and knowledge and planning their future directions. The article would be of interest to students looking ahead to working in an archives, library or museum and exploring career paths; supervisors and mentors who work with emerging professionals; professional associations and communities of practice; and educators who have a role in developing curriculum in educational or workplace contexts.     

Data Sustainability and Reuse Pathways of Natural Resources and Environmental Scientists

This article presents a multifarious examination of natural resources and environmental scientists' adventures navigating the policy change toward open access and cultural shift in data management, sharing, and reuse. Situated in the institutional context of Virginia Tech, a focus group and multiple individual interviews were conducted exploring the domain scientists' all-around experiences, performances, and perspectives on their collection, adoption, integration, preservation, and management of data. The results reveal the scientists' struggles, concerns, and barriers encountered, as well as their shared values, beliefs, passions, and aspirations when working with data. Based on these findings, this study provides suggestions on data modeling and knowledge representation strategies to support the long-term viability, stewardship, accessibility, and sustainability of scientific data. It also discusses the art of curation as creative scholarship and new opportunities for data librarians and information professionals to mobilize the data revolution.     

Participatory Communication with Social Media

Abstract Major museums worldwide are starting to use social media such as blogs, podcasts and content shares to engage users via participatory communication. This marks a shift in how museums publicly communicate their role as custodians of cultural content and so presents debate around an institution's attitude towards cultural authority. It also signifies a new possible direction for museum learning. This article reports on a range of initiatives that demonstrate how participatory communication via social media can be integrated into museum practices. It argues that the social media space presents an ideal opportunity for museums to build online communities of interest around authentic cultural information, and concludes with some recent findings on and recommendations for social media implementation.     

Achieving change through mutual development: supported online learning and the evolving roles of health and information professionals

Introduction: Major changes in health care, within an information‐ and technology‐rich age, are impacting significantly on health professionals and upon their education and training. Health information professionals—in both the National Health Service (NHS) and higher education (HE) contexts—are consequently developing their roles, skills and partnerships to meet the needs of flexible education and training. This article explores one facet of this—supported online learning and its impact on role development. Methodology: A case study approach was taken, aiming to explore how academics, health information professionals and learning technologists are developing supported online learning to explicitly address the e‐literacy and information needs of health students within the context of NHS frameworks for education. This was contextualized by a literature review. Results: The case study explores and discusses three dynamics—(i) The use of supported online learning tools by future health‐care professionals throughout their professional training to ensure they have the appropriate e‐literacy skills; (ii) the use of supported online learning by current health professionals to enable them to adapt to the changing environment; (iii) the development of the health information professional, and particularly their role within multi‐disciplinary teams working with learning technologists and health professionals, to enable them to design and deliver supported online learning. Conclusions: The authors argue that, in this specific case study, health information professionals are key to the development of supported online learning. They are working successfully in collaboration and their roles are evolving to encompass learning and teaching activities in a wider context. There are consequently several lessons to be drawn in relation to professional education and role development.     

Equity of Access to Cultural Heritage: Museum Experience as a Facilitator of Learning and Socialization in Children with Autism

This article discusses a study focused on investigating the effects of an art museum cultural experience on learning and behaviors of visitors with special needs. The participants, selected by specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, were 10 families with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The author examined how the museum environment, with its opportunities for free‐choice, object‐based, and inquiry‐based learning, helped facilitate their educational and social needs. To record changes in the subjects' content knowledge and behavior, the author employed a mixed‐methods design, including the standardized Social Responsiveness Scale, parent surveys, behavioral observations, task evaluations, and parent interviews. The findings demonstrate that participation in a tailored educational museum program positively influences cognitive and social behaviors of children living with autism, thereby contributing to their overall well‐being. The paper also discusses implications for other museums nationwide working to establish quality access programs with long‐term benefits for special needs communities.     

Experiential learning or exploitation? Volunteering for work experience in the UK museums sector

Aspiring museums professionals often have to volunteer outside of formal study programmes in order to gain paid work in the UK museums sector. Volunteering for work experience however, has been largely ignored by previous studies of museum volunteers. This paper aims to provide an insight into the extent of volunteering for work experience and the experiences of these would-be museum workers. The paper presents the result of a postal questionnaire and interviews with both volunteers and managers. A key problem for museums is the resources needed to provide meaningful work experience. For volunteers, a worthwhile work experience placement appears to be almost entirely due to luck and finding a mentor. Voluntary experience therefore seems to be more about developing contacts than learning museum-specific skills. Recommendations are made for improving the volunteers’ experience.     

简论图书馆与博物馆的合作

信息化社会要求资源共享。图书馆和博物馆都是文化信息中心,有着广泛的合作基础。文章以中央美术学院图书馆与美术馆合作办展为例,从社会发展、经济发展、技术发展、服务方式和馆藏使用五个方面,探讨图书馆与博物馆合作的必要性,并从功能基础、历史基础、资源基础三个方面,探讨图书馆与博物馆合作的可能性以及二馆合作的丰富内容。     

Crafting Museum Experiences in Light of Research on Learning: Implications of the National Research Council’s Report on Informal Science Education

Abstract In this article, the editors of the recent National Research Council report Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits discuss the report’s implications for museum professionals. The report is a synthesis of some 2,000 studies and evaluations of learning in non‐school settings such as museums. Here we focus on three specific topics discussed in the full report, which we see as particularly important for museum professionals. These are: a framework for developing and studying science learning experiences; cultural diversity as an integral resource for learning; and assessment of learning. Many museums include “learning” among their goals and many researchers concern themselves with how museums and other settings can be organized to support learning. Yet this wealth of research is rarely brought into focus and offered as guidance to the museum community.     

The law of museum safety

Operators of non-profit and government museums may be surprised to find that their liability for injuries to visitors is determined by the same rules that apply to private amusement parks, youth camps, and adult recreation programs. A museum may be liable for injuries that result from such everyday conditions as deceptive differences in floor levels, unlocked storage areas, and crowds of schoolchildren pushing and shoving. The case of an elderly woman's fall over a step while taking her two small grandchildren to the toilet is instructive in this regard.¹ In that case the court, finding that the location of the step was not obvious and was therefore dangerous, noted that a person entering a public toilet is apt to be engrossed in their objective, especially when accompanying small children with pressing needs. This case demonstrates that the liability of a museum will not always be apparent to those responsible for its operation, and routine safety inspections may overlook important areas of risk.What follows describes the laws of liability for injury on the premises of museums, and demonstrates why a hazard survey, based on legal precedents, is the single most important safeguard against liability for museums. It concludes with a hazard checklist prepared from a legal perspective for the use of museum management and their legal counsel.     

Children's Museum Experiences: Identifying Powerful Mediators of Learning

This article reports on a study of young children and the nature of their learning through museum experiences. Environments such as museums are physical and social spaces where visitors encounter objects and ideas which they interpret through their own experiences, customs, beliefs, and values. The study was conducted in four different museum environments: a natural and social history museum, an art gallery, a science center, and a hybrid art/social history museum. The subjects were four‐ to seven‐year old children. At the conclusion of a ten‐week, multi‐visit museum program, interviews were conducted with children to probe the saliency of their experiences and the ways in which they came to understand the museums they visited. Emergent from this study, we address several findings that indicate that museum‐based exhibits and programmatic experiences embedded in the common and familiar socio‐cultural context of the child's world, such as play and story, provide greater impact and meaning than do museum exhibits and experiences that are decontexualized in nature.     

Revolution Collected and Curated Russian Revolution: Hope,Tragedy, Myths at the British Library

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the theory of exhibition presentation as a genre, the specific issues of curatorial styles, and the distinct features of exhibitions in libraries. Based on my personal reflections on taking part in curating the Russin Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths exhibition at the British Library, the article discusses the tension between the nature of collections held in libraries and their transformation when turned into an exhibition display, as well as the tension between the purpose of collecting for libraries and collecting for displays. It also presents the author’s experience of the challenges and solutions that exhibitions in libraries normally face. As the number of exhibition projects in all kinds of libraries is growing, the library communities are looking toward a better understanding of how libraries’ special and general collections can function in an exhibition environment and how information professionals can contribute to curatorial practices. Sharing experience about library exhibitions in the wider framework of art and museum curation will help to recognize exhibition curating as a requisite part of librarianship, which might change our perception of libraries and their relations with users now and in the future.