Museums Innovating with Technology

Scott Sayre & Kris Wetterlund
Sandbox Studios/Museum411Association of Midwest Museums Leadership Academy, October 2012
Museums Innovating with
Technology
Scott Sayre and Kris Wetterlund
Association of Midwest Museums
Leadership Academy
October 18, 2012

Today We’ll Cover…
1. Innovating with Technology
2. Museum Information Management
3. The Systems Within
4. Managing the Human Resources
5. Handling Hardware and Budgeting
6. Navigating Social Media
7. Professional Development

What are the conditions for
museums successfully
innovating with technology in
museums?

“Conditions for Classroom Technology Innovations”
Yong Zhao, Michigan State University, Kevin Pugh, University of
Toledo, Stephen Sheldon, Johns Hopkins University, Joe L. Byers,
Michigan State University.Teachers College Record, Volume 104,
Number 3, April 2002, pp. 482-515
ARTstor Study: Four museums incorporate ARTstor into
four very different technology projects

Museums Innovating
with Technology
• The Innovator (You)
• The Innovation (Project)
• The Context (Museum)

The Innovator (You)
• Knowledge of the technology and its
enabling conditions
Example: A Request for Proposals (RFP) that
contained wildly varied levels of detail that made it
impossible for vendors to propose a solution.

The Innovator (You)
• Pedagogy-technology compatibility
Example: In the ARTstor test, a history museum
educator was already bringing in resources from all
disciplines to aid teaching history at her museum.

The Innovator (You)
• Knowledge of the organizational and
social culture of the museum
Example: Technology staff proposes a project that
puts technology in the hands of art museum
docents. While the museum educator expressed
interest she knew the docents would resist.

The Innovation (Project)
• Alignment with the museum culture
Example: Museum authority versus Web 2.0
The art mob and MOMA

• Required resources are available:
human, economic and technology
Example: Cell phone audio tours, YouTube,
Facebook, Flickr, etc.

• Distance from the innovator’s current
practices
Example: Teachers trained to use Pachyderm to
create student resources who succeeded were
those who used Pachyderm to create resources for
something they were already teaching.

The Context (Museum)
• Technological infrastructure (facility,
network, equipment, etc.)
Example: Museum educators would like to use
YouTube videos in docent training but the IT staff of
the museum has YouTube blocked because the
network can’t support video streaming.

• Human infrastructure
Example: The first version of ArtsConnectEd placed
more demands on the new media staff than they
could keep up with. Solution – recreate
ArtsConnectEd so that museum educators are
responsible for content.

• Organizational culture (support staff,
policies and procedures, etc.)
Example: Cell phones and laptops are banned in
some museum buildings.

The Context
•Technology infrastructure
•Human infrastructure
•Organizational culture
The Innovator
•Knowledge of the technology
•Pedagogy/technology
compatibility
•Knowledge of museum culture
The Innovation
•Distance from culture
•Distance from resources
•Distance from innovator’s
practice
Successful Tech Projects

Museums Innovating with
Technology
Take the Quiz

Museum Information
Management:
Looking at the Big Picture

Museums pride themselves on
collections, knowledge and
scholarly expertise.

Museums pride themselves on
collections, knowledge and
scholarly expertise.
Knowledge and scholarship rely
upon the management of
information.

What is Museum Information?
Information about:
• Objects
• Books/documents
• People
• Facilities and
security
• Activities/events
• Products and
materials
• Money
• Process
• Data

Where does it live?

Museum Structure/Functions
Administration
Collections/Registration
Curatorial
Education
Special Events
Membership/Development
Marketing/Public Relations
Exhibitions
Library
Archives
Photo Services
Design
Web/Media
Information Systems/IT
Store/Merchandise
Food Services
Security
Facilities
Human Resources
Accounting/Payroll
Purchasing

Large and small museums
deal with these functions
differently, but perform most
of them.

Museum Information Management is:
A mission-critical way of working made up
of institutional
• Education
• Teamwork
• Policy
• Processes & Procedures
• Systems

Education-
All museum employees need to
understand the institutional importance
of information and good management
practices.

Teamwork-
All museum staff need to work
cooperatively in order to develop and
maintain a sustainable information
environment.

Policy-
A set of formal institutional rules
defining types of museum information
and how each will be managed and
sustained over time.

Processes & Procedure-
Institution, department and system
specific protocol for entering, managing
and maintaining museum information.

Systems-
Specialized desktop and server-based applications
for collecting, processing, managing and maintaining
museum information.
Internal applications
• Local area network
• Intranet
• Extranet
External/public applications
• Internet/Web

Museum Technology:
The Systems Within

Major museum systems include:
• Collection Management
• Library
• Digital Asset
Management
• Content Management
• Constituency
Management
• Scheduling
• Web Apps – Blogs,
Wikis, more
• Ticketing
• Security
• Point of Purchase
• Accounting
• Payroll

Systems:
Digital Asset Management
“DAMS”

Digital Asset Management is
becoming an everyday task
• iPhoto
• iTunes
• Flickr

Why DAMS?
• Digital assets are at the minimum as
valuable as the time, effort and finances that
went into their creation.
• Digital objects are quickly becoming mission
critical institutional assets and must be
managed in ways similar to a museum’s
collection.
• The creation of digital assets is increasing at
an exponential rate.

Benefits of DAMS
• Centralize searching and access
• Managing all digital resources in one place
• Central authority, security and tracking
• Central, standardized management of
copyright
• Reduced duplication of effort

What is a DAMS?
Directories of digital assets (images, audio,
video, etc.) connected to a database
containing related descriptive and
administrative data.

DAMS provides
1. File Management
2. Metadata Management
3. Workflow Management
4. Policy and Tracking Enforcement
5. Controlling Access

Common Museum
Digital Asset Management Systems
Commercial
• Interwoven - Mediabin
• Iview Media
• Canto Cumulus
• ImageFolio
Open Source
• ResourceSpace

Systems:
Content Management

What is a
Content Management System?
A program used to create and
manipulate the structure and content
for any museum information system:
• Web site
• Kiosks
• Mobile devices
• Etc.

Why Do Museums Need
Content Management Systems?
To more efficiently manage the
maintenance, design and content of
museum information sources.

Benefits of Content Management
Systems include:
• Integration of data from different sources
• Repurposing of data
• Automated maintenance
• Display consistency
• Work distribution
• Workflow control
• Good information management
• Archiving/Versioning

Key Features of Content
Management Systems
• Template-based authoring for non-technical
contributors
• User roles controlled by the system
• Workflow management
• Integration with other systems (DAMS)
• Metadata Management
• Flexible output

Content Management Systems
Template-based authoring
• Site pages and sections are pre-designed as
blank templates
• Non-technical users can enter and change
page content without assistance of
Webmaster
• Global interface features are centrally
controlled
• Site design and “skin” can be easily be
changed by Webmaster

Controlled user roles
• Changes to Web content tightly controlled by
user privileges
• Departments can have responsibility to
manage their own web pages
• Roles define capabilities within workflow

Workflow Management
• Control of how content flows in and out of the
system
• System and roles control the process
• Entry > Review > Approval > Publishing > Archiving
• System provides automated changes to Web
content based on date, time, etc.

Integration
• System level interfaces “plug-ins” to allow
access to data within other systems such as
DAMS, Collections Management, etc.

Flexible Output
• Different templates can be used for separate
applications
• The same content can be delivered to a wide
range of applications simultaneously
• Changes to content automatically update in
all applications
• Multilingual capabilities

Common Museum
Commercial
• Mediatrope Sitebots
Open Source
• Wordpress
• Drupal
• Joomla
• Typo3

Systems:
Proprietary, Open Source
and Cloud-based

Proprietary Systems
Advantages:
1. Simple installation
2. Good support
3. Reliable update/upgrades
4. Predictable costs
Disadvantages
1. Upfront and ongoing costs
2. Limited customization
3. Reliance on stability of the company
4. No access to source code

Open Source Systems
Advantages:
1. Sometimes free
2. Source code is available and can be customized
3. Community and/or company support
4. Less risk with company stability
Disadvantages:
1. Installation and troubleshooting may be challenging
2. Reliance on community and/or company for support
3. Access to programmer required to take advantage of
source code
4. Upgrades/updates and bug fixes rely on community
5. Costs are less predictable

Cloud-based Systems
Advantages:
1. Less technology infrastructure
2. No software purchases
3. Greater support and maintenance
4. Continuously upgraded/updated
5. Remote access
Disadvantages:
1. Ongoing subscription fees
2. Museum does not “own” software
3. Little or no opportunity for customization
4. Data is stored offsite (also a pro)
5. Lack of direct control of data and back-up

Interchange and Integration

Data Interchange
• Data is passed from one system to
another via manual or automated
export/import routine. Data from one
system is mapped to the other.
Interchange can be one or two ways.
• Systems capable of interchange are
considered to be “interoperable”.

Example 1
Interoperable System
ArtsConnectEd.org

ArtsConnectEd 2 interchange
Collections
Management
ArtsConnectEd2
(Harvester)
OAI
Repository
Collections
Management
Minneapolis
Institute of Arts
Walker
Art Center
OAI
Repository

Integrated Systems
• Integrated systems consist of a one system
which includes two or more applications
which are traditionally separate.
• Integrated systems may be commercially
packaged or may be built.
• Integrated systems share the same database
of information to increase efficiency.

Example 2
Integrated System
The Walker Art Center’s
Art on Call

Art On Call
Integrates:
Collections Management
Content Management
Interactive Voice Response System “IVR”
Web site
iTunes - podcasting

Art On Call’s integration
Collections
Management
Content
Management
Web Site
Interactive
Voice Response
System
• Job Openings
• Calendar
• Online audio
• iTunes feed
• Job Openings
• Calendar
• Audio
Digital Asset
Management

Integrated Systems
Beware…
Just because a system can perform a function,
doesn’t mean it can do it well.
Sometimes integrating “best of breed” is a
better solution.

Why Integrate or Interoperate?
1. Use data in multiple applications – POD etc.
2. Reduce load on end user
3. Reduce data redundancy and errors
4. Mash-ups - internal and external
5. Sharing information
6. Data enhancement

Managing Human
Resources Related To
Technology

Hiring Right
• Most museum jobs require a significant
amount of technology literacy.
Museums often tend to ignore this and
hire and promote primarily based on
scholarship or related experience.

Hire Proactively
• Assess the technology skills currently
required in position
• Assess technology skills currently
lacking in the position.
• Make technology skills a key element
of every job description.
• Review and revise job descriptions on
a regular basis regarding technology.

Promote Critically
• Consider all hierarchical promotions
with caution, particularly for leadership
positions.
• Assess the current and future needs of
the position rather than the current
norm.
• Pay close attention to social skills
critical to communication and support.

Job Description
Analysis Activity

Handling Hardware
Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD)
&
a Bit on Budgeting

Desktop computing is
becoming a thing of the past.

Visitor Provided Devices
Pros:
• No hardware costs
• No hardware storage,
check-out, security
• Unlimited # of devices
• Can be used for
multiple types of
programming
• No maintenance
Cons:
• Not available to all
visitors
• Not all devices are the
same
• May require more
infrastructure

Keys to Successful Visitor BYOD
• Promote services pre and during visit.
• Train staff to assist visitors with range of
devices.
• Test supporting infrastructure before
implementing.
• Develop using open standards to address a
wide range of devices.
• Consider pre and post visit opportunities.

Staff Provided Devices
Pros:
• Reduced hardware
costs
• Employee familiarity
with devices
• Employee
responsibility for
device
• Can improve archiving
Cons:
• Lack of standardization
• Supporting range of
devices
• Not all employees can
provide
• Potential data security
issues

Keys to Successful Staff BYOD
• Develop a clear IT policy regarding BYOD
use:
• Define a range of supported devices as a standard.
• Define what types of issues and applications the museum
does and does not support.
• Provide a system for managing and storing
all institutional data external to the device.

A Bit on Budgeting for Technology
• Technology should be a utility with a
consistent ongoing budget.
• Most hardware needs to be replaced every
3-5 years.
• The costs to sustain and update new
technology projects should be considered
upfront.
• Technology costs should be budgeted
centrally if at all possible.

Navigating Social Media

Social Media
Your audience is no longer just museum visitors
and potential museum visitors. Now it includes
online visitors

Before You Begin
Start with your goals, and align them to your
mission. The tools will change, the goals will
not.

Before You Begin
Plan for time to create, maintain and evaluate.
Engaging visitors is everyone’s job, now you’ll
use new tools to do it. Don’t be afraid to let
some old tools go.

Before You Begin
Listen and participate before you create. Share,
comment, tag, bookmark other’s content and
you encourage your audience to share,
comment, tag, bookmark and re-tweet your
content.

Before You Begin
If you haven’t started using tools like Flickr and
Wikipedia, know that you are already there.
Search Twitter.

Before You Begin
Build your house on solid ground, pitch your
tent on sand.

Create a Social Media Policy

Decide how many tools to adopt, when and
how to use them and how much.
Your social media policy must ensure that
content creators have a clear understanding of
their roles and responsibilities while
encouraging original and creative ways to use
social media to engage visitors.

Create recommendations for user names, hash
tags, etc. and list of of all of these currently in
use by your museum per tool.

Always give credit. Tagging Brown University
will make it show up on Brown University's
Facebook page.

Monitor and decide how to respond to
comments and feedback.

Include an exit strategy. For example,
launching a new social media tool in order to
promote a big event allows you to exit after the
event if the tool doesn't prove useful.

Make Your Content:
• Personal - People want to hear from people, not organizations.
• Discoverable - easy to find, logical, and hierarchically
presented.
• Meaningful - in Plain English, understandable and relatable.
• Responsive - to visitors’ interests, moods, locations and
needs.
• Useable and Shareable - A minimum of restrictions on use or
sharing.
• Available Widely - online, onsite and offsite. Write once, then
publish broadly across a wide range of devices.

Decide on Style and Institutional Voice:
• Informed but informal.
• Human and sometimes Humorous
• Friendly but not Flippant
• Engaging but not Erudite
• Neither Corporate nor Trivial
• Questioning but not Querulous
• Respectful and Realistic

Accept that your museum will make mistakes,
and apologize for them in a friendly manner. Be
careful not to make staff cower at the thought
of using social media.

Professional Development
and Resources

Thank you!
Scott Sayre
scott@sandboxstudios.org
Kris Wetterlund
kris@sandboxstudios.org
Presentation Slides and Resources
www.sandboxstudios.org/presentations/ammla2012

Museums Innovating with Technology

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