Presentation for South East Museum Development as part of the Collections Trust's 'Going Digital' programme

1. South East Museum Development
Going Digital Workshop
19.03.2015
Wifi network:
Hashtag: #ctdigital

2. Welcome!

3. Agenda
11.00 – 11.10 Welcome & introductions
11.10 – 11.30 Round-table introductions & key questions/issues
11.30 – 11.50 Getting started – the current situation
11.50 – 12.00 Q&A discussion
12.00 – 12.30 Setting your goals
12.30 – 13.15 Networking lunch
13.15 – 13.40 Developing a plan of action
13.40 – 14.10 Creating digital content
14.10 – 14.40 Developing an online presence
14.40 – 14.50 Break
14.50 – 15.15 Databases & systems
15.15 – 15.30 Measuring success
15.30 – 15.50 Sources of funding
15.50 – 16.00 Q&A discussion
16.00 Actions & next steps

4. Things to remember
• Please do stop me anytime & ask questions
• If anything isn’t clear, raise a hand and I can clarify
• Do be an active participant
• Please do respect confidences
• All slides and links are online at
http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/going-digital

5. Introductions & key issues
• Please introduce yourself, your role and your organisation
• Write down 2-3 things you want to make sure we address today

6. I’m Nick
• Working in museums since 1997
• Worked on digital projects in museums large & small
• Developed early websites
• Led parts of the NOF-digitisation project
• Now working with Google, Wikipedia & the BBC to share collections online

7. Introducing Collections Trust
• The Collections Trust is the professional association for collections
management.
• Established in 1977, we are a UK-based charity working with museums,
libraries, galleries and archives worldwide to improve the management and
use of their collections.
• We do this by:
– Providing know-how
– Developing and promoting excellence
– Challenging existing practices
– Pioneering new ideas
– Bringing experts together.

8. Our other programmes
• We focus on areas that are relevant to Collections Management:
– Security www.collectionstrust.org.uk/security
– Energy efficiency www.collectionstrust.org.uk/energy-efficiency
– Pests! www.collectionstrust.org.uk/pest-management
– Insurance www.collectionstrust.org.uk/insurance
– Participation www.collectionstrust.org.uk/participation
– Going Digital www.collectionstrust.org.uk/going-digital
– Copyright & licensing www.collectionstrust.org.uk/copyright-and-licensing

9. Consultancy services
• Working in partnership with Museum Development providers, we can
provide direct, targeted advice, support and training in the following
areas:
– Developing a Digital strategy
– Reviewing and improving Collections Management
– Fundraising for collections-based projects
– Making Copyright work for your museum
– Building international partnerships
– Preparing your Collections data for the Web
• Contact nick@collectionstrust.org.uk for details/pricing

10. Keep in touch
• We would like to keep in touch after today
– Collections Management LinkedIn community (8,200 members)
– Fortnightly email newsletter (sign up at www.collectionstrust.org.uk)
– www.twitter.com/collectiontrust
– www.facebook.com/collectionstrust
– www.slideshare.net/collectionstrust

11. Session One
Understanding what ‘digital’
means and the opportunities
& challenges it presents

12. First some definitions!
• What does the word ‘digital’ mean to you?

13. Opportunities and challenges
• What are the main opportunities & benefits which digital technology
can offer you in your work?

14. Opportunities and challenges
• What are the main challenges impacting on your use of technology?

15. 5 simple steps
‘Going digital’ (or making more use of technology in your museum) is an
exciting and creative process. Here are 5 simple steps to get you started:
1.Talk about Digital
2.Look at other projects
3.Get started with a small activity
4.Audit your computers
5.Use the Digital Benchmarks tool

16. Step 1: Talk about Digital
• Have a tea/coffee morning or staff meeting and talk about making more or
better use of technology
• Think about:
– Things you’ve done already
– Examples you’ve seen and liked in other museums
– What you hope to get out of it
– What people are worried about
– Whether you’ve got staff or volunteers with ideas or skills that can help

17. Step 2: Look at other projects
• Have a look at current examples of ‘digital’ projects in other museums (or
other brands or companies that you’re interested in)
• Identify what you like – what draws you in & what irritates you!
• Find examples and inspiration:
– www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
– www.collectionstrust.org.uk/awards
– http://www.londonmuseumsgroup.org/
– http://southeastmuseums.org/

18. Step 3: Get started!
• There’s no time like the present!
• Make a short-term plan for a project or activity that you can deliver with a
small investment of time and no/not much money
• Whether it’s updating your listing on Culture24 or TripAdvisor, improving the
information on your existing website, updating Windows or replacing a
gallery interactive – great progress starts with small steps

19. Step 4: Audit your computers
• Often, the best-laid plans go awry because you don’t have access to the
software and computers you need to do the job
• Carrying out a simple checklist-style audit of what you have will help you
plan for replacements or upgrades
• Based on the Health & Safety Risk Assessment:
– Describe what you have
– Identify risks and priorities
– Develop a plan of action
– Review and improve
• www.collectionstrust.org.uk/going-digital

20. Improving what you have
• If you have charitable status, register with the Charities Technology Trust to
access free/subsidised software for your museum (eg. MS Office for £20)
• The Government-backed ‘Getonline@home’ initiative offers charities low-
cost refurbished computers from £95 and subsidised Internet deals
• Google for Nonprofits offers free or subsidised storage, backup, email, chat
and software for charities
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) offers discounts on
software and hardware for NCVO members
• UK Online Centres are partnering with In Kind Direct to offer low-cost PC’s
for charities (desktops £99 incl. VAT & laptops £149 incl. VAT)

21. Step 5: Use Digital Benchmarks
• Downloaded more than 6,000 times
• Used by 100’s of museums to review where they are
• Providing evidence for senior management & Boards
• Understanding strengths & opportunities for development
• Intended for non-technical people
• Used to inform/target our support and support from Museum
Development

23. Digital Benchmark “Range Statements”
Strategy
Level Description
0 • The organisation has no strategic plan or statement of mission or purpose *
1 • The organisation has a strategic plan or mission which does not reference engagement
through technology
2 • The organisation has a strategic plan, which includes projects and programmes, some of
which make use of technology.
• Digital is not fully integrated into the strategy, which is not regularly reviewed.
3 • The organisation has a strategic plan, which includes projects and programmes, some of
which make use of technology.
• Digital is integrated into the strategy, which is regularly reviewed.
4 • The organisation has a strategic plan/mission in place which references the use of digital
technologies to support core delivery, or it has a separate (but connected) digital strategy
in place.
• There is at least one digital champion within the senior management of the organisation.
• The strategic plan is regularly reviewed and updated.
5 • The organisation has a strategic plan/mission in place which integrates the use of digital
technologies to support core delivery.
• The digital elements of the plan are owned and championed at a senior (Board &
management) level and supported by appropriate budgets.
• Digital technologies are embedded across all teams/departments of the organisation.
• Digital delivery and engagement through technology are embedded within the
organisation’s performance framework.
• The strategic plan is regularly reviewed and updated.

24. Mid-sized regional museum

25. Smaller museum

26. Showing progress

27. Volunteer please!

28. Benefits
• A simple audit can help you improve the quality and usability of your
computers
• Using the Digital Benchmarks tool is an opportunity for a discussion about
your plans and current projects
• In both cases, it’s about understanding where you are, thinking about where
you want to get to and making sure you have the technology and skills in
place to get there
• If you think of digital as a series of small experiments, you’re more likely to
end up where you want to be than if it’s a massive project

29. Session Two
Working together, can you set
out 1-2 goals that you think
you can commit to in the next
12 months?

30. Q&A Discussion

31. Lunch!

32. Session Three
Developing simple approaches
and a Plan of Action for Digital

33. A plan of action
• ‘Digital’ is not different
• Thinking about your audience & what they need
• Developing a plan of action
• Taking time to celebrate
• Thinking long-term

34. Digital is not different!
• For anyone under 25, they’ve never known a world without the Internet &
mobiles
• The distinction between ‘physical’ and ‘digital’ is less and less meaningful –
it’s all just ‘stuff’
• Whether it’s collections or fundraising, front-of-house or back-of-house,
marketing or meetings, there is no aspect of museum life that isn’t affected
in some way by technology
• It’s important to keep it in proportion – all technology provides is an
additional set of tools for solving the particular challenges you face. As with
anything else, it’s about choosing the right tools for the job (which means
understanding what you want to achieve).

35. Thinking about your audience
• How do people want to be able to interact with your museum?

36. Thinking about your audience
• The best digital products, websites or experiences are the ones that serve a
clear need for your audience in as simple, unobtrusive and ‘natural’ a way as
possible
• A significant amount of time is spent designing websites and apps that get
people to a specific activity as quickly as possible, for example….

40. What do people want?
Renaissance London research into online user needs - 2008

41. Developing your plan
• Can you share an example of a small, simple thing you’d like to improve?

42. Developing your plan
• Identify the issue you want to improve
• Say how things will be better in future once you’ve done it
• Identify the steps you’re going to take
• Identify the resources you’re going to need (time, money, peace & quiet)
• If you have an overall Forward Plan, say how this fits into it
• Get on with it!

43. Take time to celebrate
• Whether your idea works perfectly or not, chances are you’ll have learnt a lot in
the process
• Take time to reflect on how it went, take stock and celebrate your achievements!
• People are much more likely to work with you the next time around if they feel
that your first experiment has been a success (and you’re more likely to get
permission and/or support too)

44. Look ahead to the future
• It can really help to identify your museum’s long-term aims and to have a clear
idea of how technology can help you achieve them.
• For example, if you have a long-term aim to attract more visitors from specific
communities or groups, it is helpful to say how you will use digital as one part of
achieving this
• This helps to show your museum that you mean business and are in it for the
long-term benefit of the museum (and not just because you fancy doing some
digital stuff!)

45. Session Four
Developing digital content

46. What is ‘digital content’?
• What does ‘digital content’ mean to you?

47. Great content
• ‘Content’ is the raw-material that great museum experiences are built on
• Digital channels depend on a good supply of interesting, well put-together
content that meets a defined audience need
• You need to ensure that the content you are delivering is designed around their
needs, ideally not your own!

48. CONTENT
METADATA
A BIT A LOT

49. CONTENT
METADATA
A BIT A LOT
FUN

50. CONTENT
METADATA
A BIT A LOT
FUN
RESEARCH

51. CONTENT
METADATA
A BIT A LOT
FUN
RESEARCH
READ A STORYPLAN A VISIT
DISCOVER FACTS
PLAN A LESSON

52. CONTENT
METADATA
A BIT A LOT
FUN
RESEARCH
DATABASES
ONLINE
COLLECTIONS
READ A STORYPLAN A VISIT
DISCOVER FACTS
PLAN A LESSON

53. CONTENT
METADATA
A BIT A LOT
FUN
RESEARCH
Digitize relatively few things & spend your
money on quality and context
DATABASES
ONLINE
COLLECTIONS
READ A STORYPLAN A VISIT
DISCOVER FACTS
PLAN A LESSON

54. CONTENT
METADATA
A BIT A LOT
FUN
RESEARCH
Digitize relatively few things & spend your
money on quality and context
Digitize lots of things, use standards and
don’t worry too much about promotion
DATABASES
ONLINE
COLLECTIONS
READ A STORYPLAN A VISIT
DISCOVER FACTS
PLAN A LESSON

55. Prioritise!
• The natural impulse is to try and put the whole collection online
• This is a good medium to long-term aim, but in the short term you can achieve a
lot with a very little
• Talk to friends, family and visitors, learn what they’re interested in and develop
small, interesting ways into the museum

58. Digitisation
• Develop a list of priorities
• Build taking photos/scans into your everyday processes (moving objects,
condition checks, store tours)
• Choose simple, easy-to-use equipment
• Create a stable environment to work in
• Free Simple Guide to Digitisation for Museums at
http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/digitisation/simple-guide-to-digitisation

59. Session Five
Developing an online
presence

60. First point of contact
“Online is increasingly the frontline for our museums. It is
where people discover us, it’s how they communicate with us.
For most of our visitors, it is their first point of contact with the
museum.”
Di Lees, Director-General, Imperial War Museum

65. Key decisions
• A website of your own or a presence on other peoples’?
• Mobile first or second?
• Triggering a visit or a visit in its own right?
• To tweet or not to tweet?
• Choosing the right approach and websites to achieve your goals (which, again,
means being clear on what those goals are!)

66. Developing your website
• Focus on moving the user from arriving at your site to completing the action as
quickly and elegantly as possible
• Before they arrive:
– Is your URL (web address) sensible?
– Do you appear in Google searches for your museum/subject/theme?
• When they’re there:
– Are the opening hours/access conditions the 1st
or 2nd
thing they see?
– Do they have to scroll to get to the main features of your site?
– Do they have to read more than a paragraph to find out about you?
• When they’re leaving:
– Have they been able to register their interest (eg. signing up for email alerts)

67. Mobile-friendly or app
“If a £15,000 mobile app is the answer, it’d better have been a
really good question.”
Jane Finnis, Director, Culture24

68. Using other platforms
• Develop a presence on Facebook
• Take ownership of your presence on TripAdvisor
• Update your exhibitions and opening hours on Culture24
• Join the Google Cultural Institute (free signup for Google Open Gallery)
• Share images on Wikipedia

73. https://www.google.com/opengallery/

74. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM

75. Break!

76. Session Six
Databases and systems

77. Databases & systems
• What databases or systems are you using already to capture and store
information about your museum and/or collections?

78. Often lots of bits and pieces!
COLLECTIONS
DOCUMENTATION
COLLECTIONS
DOCUMENTATION
DIGITAL ASSET
MANAGEMENT
DIGITAL ASSET
MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION /
RECORDS / FINANCE/
EMAIL ETC
INFORMATION /
RECORDS / FINANCE/
EMAIL ETC
SYSTEMS OF RECORD
SYSTEMS OF
ENGAGEMENT
USER CHANNELS &
PLATFORMS
Mobile
devices
Museum
website
Gallery
interactives
Social
media
Google
Open
Gallery

79. Developing effective systems
• Not about creating the ‘perfect’ all-singing, all-dancing system
• About making sure that each step is heading in the right direction
• Not specifying or buying systems that lock you in to one particular way of doing
things
• Emphasising systems that use best practices and standards

80. http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/choose-a-cms

81. Additional guidance
• Choose a Digital Asset Management System tool live in March
• Guidelines on procurement and tendering
• Indicative pricing information
• Networks and user groups

82. Session Seven
Measuring success

83. Measuring success
• How do you currently measure or evaluate the success or otherwise of your
projects and programmes?

84. Measuring success
• Define goals
• Identify measures
• Create or use systems
• Analyse the data
• Feed the results into future plans

85. “Let’s Get Real”
• Guidance for museums in developing
realistic (SMART) goals for digital work
• Benchmarks to use with Google
Analytics to track how people are using
your digital (web and mobile) content
• Guidance on how to use the resulting
insight to inform your future planning
• http://weareculture24.org.uk/projects/act
ion-research/

86. Session Eight
Paying for digital work

87. Broader context
• Hopefully, today has shown that there are things you can do to make progress
without a huge investment!
• Museum Development South East is exploring the provision of financial support
for small digital initiatives
• Other funding sources:
– Heritage Lottery Fund
– Arts Council England/Nesta Innovation Fund
– MA Effective Collections fund
– The Art Fund crowdfunding platform

88. Digital funders
• Anna Plowden Trust – CPD & training in conservation & collections care
• Art Fund Jonathan Ruffer Grants – supporting research & travel for curators
• Charles Hayward Foundation – heritage & conservation grants
• Clore Duffield Trust – funding focused on learning & engagement
• English Heritage - currently in transition, has provided curatorial grants
• Ernest Cook Trust – projects involving children, countryside & conservation
• The Leche Trust – small grants for historic conservation & research projects

89. Digital funders
• ACE/V&A Purchase Grant Fund – purchasing for non-national museums
• NIMC Accredited Museums Grants – 2014/15 call closed 19th
November
• Paul Hamlyn Foundation – focus on social/educational outcomes
• Pilgrim Trust – grants to support conservation of collections
• Summerfield Charitable Trust – focus on Gloucestershire, heritage projects
• Plus any others that you know about!

90. Key lessons
• ‘Digital’ is not (generally) a separate funding stream
• It tends to serve as a multiplier of whatever your existing funding model is
• Generating real, repeatable revenues from eg. picture licensing requires
investment and ongoing resourcing
• A key aim is to minimise your risks and maximise your return!

91. Q&A

92. Keep in touch
• We would like to keep in touch after today
– Collections Management LinkedIn community (8,200 members)
– Fortnightly email newsletter (sign up at www.collectionstrust.org.uk)
– www.twitter.com/collectiontrust
– www.facebook.com/collectionstrust
– www.slideshare.net/collectionstrust

93. Thankyou!
(and please do fill in your
Feedback & Evaluation forms)