Naturhistorisk

1. LiveScience and
participatory projects
Ilse van Zeeland
Exhibitions
@xajieda

2. A new Naturalis
• Location: Leiden, Netherlands
• 37 million specimens in our
collection
• 340.000 visitors last year
• 60.000 school visits
• 5000 m2 exhibitions
• 130 scientists (300 guest scientists)
• 2018 opening new museum

3. A new Naturalis

4. LiveScience 2018

5. Open museum

6. Open ≠ Transparant

7. No glass

8. It’s real

9. Experiment!

10. LiveScience open in april 2011

11. Participation in LiveScience
Participation projects in LiveScience:
1. “Help the scientist”
2. Crowdsourcing object labels
3. “Many hands”

12. 1. Help the scientist

13. 1. Help the scientist

14. 1. Help the scientist
- Primary school
- Manipulation real fossils
- Exactly the same as a real scientist
- Part of scientific process
- Pupils are devoted and seriously
doing this task
- Teachers liked the project too

15. 2. Crowdsourcing: Typing labels

16. 2. Crowdsourcing: application

17. 2. Crowdsourcing: application

18. 2. Crowdsourcing: Reward
- Visitors have now knowledge of
content
- No contest, but rewarding ‘intention to
help’ The importance of a label is
communicated
- Reward: earn a real pearl
- Online application too
- 55.441 labels in 2 years

19. 3. Many hands

20. 3. Many hands

21. Enter the Dark Side…

22. DEMON 1 Scientist

23. DEMON 1 Scientist
1. They have other priorities, they have to publish in
important journals to be sure of their own future research
2. Scientist are sometimes off to expeditions, or not available
for longer times
3. They often have multiple projects going on at the same
time
4. Science is a slow process, slower then most visitors can
understand
5.They are busy, with their scientific research but also
education, outreach, funding, ………

24. DEMON 2 Collections

25. DEMON 2 Collections
1.They should not be too fragile (so visitors can manipulate
them)
2.They should not be too important (in case some break or
get lost)
3.They should not be too unattractive (If there isn’t anything
interesting on it, it will be hard to engage with)
4.They should be in sufficient amounts available (if the
project is successful then you will need much of these
collections)
5.They should be clear (If it is too hard to recognize, it will be
hard to engage with)

26. DEMON 3 Marketing

27. DEMON 3 Marketing
1.Find ways to promote participatory projects
2.Find out which audiences are really happy and excited by
this participation, who are they? Where are they?
3.These project are continues instead of a certain moment
(like exhibitions) this means another communication plan
4.Communicate clearly to visitors what and how this project
is different then the usual programs
5.Communication with colleagues that are involved in this
project (much more people are involved in this)

28. DEMON 4 Visitors

29. DEMON 4 Visitors
1. The role of the visitor is changing
2. We are trying something new, but does a visitors
understand?
3. It has to be clear what we want from them.
4. Otherwise their experience is confusing and makes them
feel lost.

30. DEMON 5 Education

31. DEMON 5 Education
1.The project should meet the general mission of the
education department (otherwise they will not put priority on
it)
2.It means more work for the educator (labeling the sorted
collections)
3.It should fit with the school program (otherwise the
teachers won’t come)
4.It should be clear what pupils have to do and what they will
learn
5.The educators should understand and like the project.
(otherwise they will not do the project with their pupils)

32. ECSA

33. ilse.vanzeeland@naturalis.nl
Ilse van Zeeland
Exhibitions
@xajieda

34. Barbara: “if my precious orchid books can have a place in LiveScience, i will work
regulairly orchid determination questions i receive.

35. Marco: “If i have sufficient space for my students i will give my botany classes in Live
Science”

36. Anne: “If there is a space for a “Paleolab” i will continously work in LiveScience on
dino material with my team”

37. Koos: “In Livescience i could have a physical place for my citizen science project”
worldwide.”