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Transcript of NMC Horizon Report-2011 Museum Edition(1)
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Horizon Report>2011 Museum EditionNMC
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The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition is a coproduction with the Marcus Institute for Digital
Education in the Arts (MIDEA), and examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use ineducation and interpretation within the museum environment.
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1
Executive Summary 3
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less> Mobile Apps 10> Tablet Computing 14
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years> Augmented Reality 18> Electronic Publishing 22
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years> Digital Preservation 26> Smart Objects 30
Methodology 34
The NMC Horizon Project: 2011 Museum Advisory Board 36
Contents >Clickonatopicorpagenumbertojumptothatpage.
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NMC
The Edward and Betty Marcus Institute for Digital Education in the
Arts (MIDEA) provides timely, succinct and practical knowledge
aboutemergingtechnologiesthatmuseumscanusetoadvancetheir
missions.Learnmoreatmidea.nmc.org
2011,TheNewMediaConsortium.
ISBN978-0-9846601-1-7
PermissionisgrantedunderaCreativeCommonsAttributionLicenseto
replicate,copy,distribute,transmit,oradaptthisreportfreelyprovided
thatattributionisprovidedasillustratedinthecitationbelow.Toview
a copy of this license, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or
sendalettertoCreativeCommons,559NathanAbbottWay,Stanford,
California94305,USA.
Citation
Johnson,L.,Adams,S.,andWitchey,H.(2011).
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition.Austin,Texas:TheNew
MediaConsortium.
Cover photograph
wxin/123RF
InsideFront and Back Cover Photograph
globalphoto/123RF
Designbyemgusa.com
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition isapublicationofthe
NewMediaConsortiumandtheMarcusInstituteforDigitalEducationintheArts.
http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/http://www.emgusa.com/http://www.emgusa.com/http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ -
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he internationally recognized series of NMC
Horizon Reports are part of the New MediaConsortiums Horizon Project, a comprehensive
research venture established in 2002 that
identiesanddescribesemergingtechnologies
likely to have a large impact over the coming ve
years in a variety of sectors around the globe. This
volume, the NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum
Edition,isacoproductionwiththeMarcusInstitutefor
Digital Education in the Arts (MIDEA), and examinesemerging technologies for their potential impact on
and use in education and interpretation within the
museum environment. The hope is that the report is
useful to museums worldwide, and the international
compositionoftheadvisoryboardreectsthecarewith
whichaglobalperspectivewasassembled.Whilethere
aremanylocalfactorsaectingtheadoptionanduse
ofemergingtechnologiesin museums, thereare alsoissuesthattranscendregionalboundariesandquestions
weallface.Itwaswiththeseinmindthatthisreportwas
created.The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition
isthe secondin anannual seriesof museum-focused
reportscoproducedbytheNMCandMIDEA.
Tocreatethereport,aninternationalbodyofexpertsin
museums,education,technology,andothereldswasconvenedasanadvisoryboard.Thegroupengagedin
discussionsaroundasetofresearchquestionsintended
to surface signicant trends and challenges and to
identifyawidearrayofpotentialtechnologiesforthe
report. This dialog was enriched by a wide range of
resources,currentresearch,andpracticethatdrewon
the expertise of both the NMC community and the
communities of the members of the advisory board.
These interactions among the advisory board are the
focus of the NMC Horizon Report research, and this
reportdetailstheareasinwhichtheseexpertswerein
strongagreement.
EacheditionoftheNMC Horizon Report highlights six
emerging technologies or practices that are likely toentermainstream use within threeadoption horizons
overthenextveyears.Keytrendsandchallengesthat
willaectcurrentpracticeoverthesameperiodframe
thesediscussions.Overthecourseofjustafewweeks,
theadvisoryboardcametoaconsensusaboutthesix
topicsthatappearhereintheNMC Horizon Report: 2011
Museum Edition.Theexamplesandreadingsundereach
topic area are meant to provide practical models as
wellasaccesstomoredetailedinformation.Wherever
possible,aneortwasmadetohighlighttheinnovativeworkgoingonamongmuseumsaroundtheworld.The
preciseresearchmethodologyemployedisdetailedin
theclosingsectionofthisreport.
Thereportsformat isconsistent fromyearto yearand
editiontoedition,andopenswithadiscussionofthe
trendsandchallengesidentiedbytheadvisoryboard
asmost importantfor the next ve years. The format
ofthe main section ofthiseditionclosely reects the
focus of the NMC Horizon Project itself, centering on
theapplicationsofemergingtechnologies,inthiscase
formuseumsettings.Eachsectionisintroducedwithan
ExecutiveSummary
3
TEach edition o the NMC HorizonReporthighlights six emergingtechnologies or practices that are
likely to enter mainstream usewithin three adoption horizons overthe next fve years.
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overviewthatdescribeswhatthetopicis,followedby
adiscussionoftheparticularrelevanceofthetopictomuseumeducationandinterpretation.Severalconcrete
examples of how the technology is being used are
given. Finally, each section closes with an annotated
listofsuggestedreadingsandadditionalexamplesthat
expandonthediscussioninthereport.Theseresources,
along with countless other helpful projects and
readings,canallbefoundintheglobal,socialdatabase
theNMCHorizonProjectNavigator(navigator.nmc.org).AlltheephemeraoftheNMC Horizon Report: 2011
Museum Edition, includingtheresearch questions and
preview,canbedownloadedforfreeoniTunesU( go.
nmc.org/itunes-u).
Key TrendsThe technologies featured in each edition of theNMC
Horizon Report are embedded within a contemporarycontextthatreectstherealitiesofthetime,bothinthe
sphereofmuseumeducationandintheworldatlarge.
Toassurethiscontextwaswellunderstood,theadvisory
board engaged in an extensive review of current
articles,interviews,papers,andnewresearchtoidentify
and rank trends that were currently aecting the
practiceofmuseumeducationandinterpretation.Once
detailed,thelistoftrendswasthenrankedaccordingtohowsignicanteachwaslikelytobeformuseumsin
thenextveyears.Thehighestrankedofthosetrends
had signicant agreement amongthe advisory board
members, who considered them to be key drivers of
museum technology adoptions for the period 2011
through2016.Theyarelistedhereintheorderinwhich
theadvisoryboardrankedthem.
1Increasingly, visitors and sta expect a seamless
experience across devices.Whetherviewingobjects
ingalleryspaces,orderingtickets,interactingwiththe
onlinestore,orsimplybrowsingthemuseumswebsite,
visitors expect museums to provide a wide range of
digitalresourcesandcontent,andwanttheexperience
ofinteractingwiththatcontenttobeconsistentacross
theirdevices.Virtualvisitorsinparticularexpecttobe
abletoperformtypicaltasksonlinequicklyandeasily
irrespectiveofthedevicetheymayhaveathandbut
this is especially true of visitors to the physical space
aswell,whereitiscommontoseepeopleinteracting
withtheirsmartphonesastheydecidewhichpartofthe
gallerytovisitnext.
2Collection-related rich media are becoming
increasingly valuable assets in digital
interpretation. Museums are beginning to see the
valueindevelopingformalstrategiesforcapturinghigh-
quality media documentation at every opportunity.
Curators and content specialists are working more
closelythaneverwitheducatorsandtechnologiststoembrace the opportunities provided by using digital
resourcestoenhancemultimodallearningbothonline
and in the galleries. Video, audio, and animations are
no longer seen as afterthoughts in interpretation
but increasingly as necessary components of an
interpretive plan. This trend is benecial to museum
professionalsandvisitorsalikeasitencouragesadeeper
understandingofobjects,ideas,andaudiences.
3The abundance of resources and relationships
made easily accessible via the Internet is
increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as
educators.Accesstoeducationalmaterialsofallkinds
hasneverbeensoeasyorsoopenasitistoday,and
thistrendisonlyincreasing.Themodelofthemuseum
curatorormuseumeducatorwhostandsinfrontofanobjectandinterpretsmeaningforapassiveaudienceis
simplynolongerrealisticinthisworldofinstantaccess.
Museum professionals must respond by changing
theirrolestoreectthenewneedtoguideandcoach
visitors innding, interpreting,and makingtheir own
connections with collections and ideas. Museums are
also more willing now to see themselves as learners,
takingadvantageofuser-generatedcontenttoenhancetheoverallunderstandingofcollections.
4There is a growing chorus of voices advocating
a more active role for visitors in shaping what
museums do.Aspeoplebecomeaccustomedtotools
thatallowthemtodothingsthatpreviouslyrequireda
greatdealofexpertise(i.e.,videoediting,orpublishing
totheweb),theybegintoappreciatethecreativeskills
involvedinactuallyproducingscienceorartorthelike.
Makersareanemergingcategoryofmuseumvisitors,
especiallyforsciencemuseums,whowanttonotonly
appreciatewhattheyseeintechnical,historicalorother
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition4
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contexts, but to also understand how it was created.
Makerexperiences,whichengagevisitorsofallagesin individual and collective experiences of tinkering,
making,anddiscoveryareagrowingtrend,andthereis
aroleforallcategoriesofmuseumsinsupportingand
encouragingsuchexperiences.
5Digitization and cataloging projects continue to
require a signicant share of museum resources.
Museumsaredistinguishedbythecontenttheykeepand interpret. There is an increasing understanding
among museum professionals that visitors expect
to be able to readily access accurate and interesting
information and high-quality media. This requires
museumstoplanstrategicallyforthedigitizationand
cataloging of collections. These projects frequently
requiresacricesintermsofscarceresources(money,
personnel,andtime)inordertomeetlong-termgoals.
6Expectations for civic and social engagement are
profoundly changing museums scope, reach, and
relationships.Moreandmore,museumsareintegrating
emerging technologies and approaches such as social
media, open content, and crowd sourcing as a means
of engaging their communities both internally and
externallyonadeeperlevel.Embracingtheseinnovationsmeansthatmuseumsareprovidingpatronswithmore
immersive opportunities to become part of the art.
Increasingly,peoplewhoareunabletomakeaphysical
triptoamuseumareabletoaccessitscollectionsand
respond and contribute meaningfully to conversations
about what may be happening in the physical space,
redeningwhatitmeanstobeamuseumpatron.
Signicant ChallengesAny discussion of technology adoption must also
consider important constraints and challenges, and
theadvisoryboarddrewdeeplyfromacarefulanalysis
ofcurrentevents,papers,articles,andsimilarsources,
aswellasfrompersonalexperienceindetailingalong
list ofchallenges museums face inadopting any new
technology.Severalimportantchallengesaredetailed
below, but it was clear that behind them all was a
pervasive sense that individual museum constraints
arelikelythemostimportantfactorsinanydecisionto
adoptornottoadoptagiventechnology.
Even institutions that are eager to adopt new
technologies may be critically constrained by thelack of necessary human resources and the nancial
wherewithal to realize their ideas. Still others are
locatedwithinbuildingsthatsimplywerentdesigned
to provide the radio frequency transparency that
wirelesstechnologiesrequire,andthusndthemselves
shutoutofmanypotentialtechnologyoptions.While
acknowledging that local barriers to technology
adoptionsaremanyandsignicant,theadvisoryboardfocuseditsdiscussionsonchallengesthatarecommon
tomuseumsandthemuseumcommunityasawhole.
Thehighestrankedchallengestheyidentiedarelisted
here,intheorderinwhichtheadvisoryboardranked
them.
1Content production has failed to keep up with
technology in an era when audiences expect toconsume information whenever and wherever they
want. Museums too often face additional costs to
repurposeinformationcreatedformuseumcatalogsor
evenwebsitesastheytrytomeetdemandsofcontent
fromthegrowingarrayofpotentialmediaformats.Itis
notenoughtodayforamuseumtoputcontentintoweb
andprintformsalsoneededareelectronicversionsof
majorpublicationscraftedforKindles,iPadsandotherelectronic publication readers. Added to that is the
need for social mediacontent, whichis oftenin short
videoformat,orshortmultimediapieces.Thechallenge,
one that faces content producers inevery sector, not
justmuseums,is torevamp productionworkowsand
content licenses so that they simultaneously support
anypossibleuse.Thepressureonmuseumstodothis
willincreaseasthecommercialpublisherscontinueto
solvetheirownsimilarissues,creatingexpectationsfor
otherpartsoftheeconomy,includingmuseums.
2A comprehensive digital strategy has become
a critically important part of planning for long-
term institutional sustainability. Such a strategy
should include not only traditional elements of a
technologyplan(e.g.,hardware,software,networks,etc.)
but also e-forms of marketing, philanthropy, revenue
generation,aswellascriticaltaskslikedigitization,digital
preservation,andlongtermtechnologyinfrastructure.
This plan should future-proof the museum to every
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extentpossible,by ensuringthattheyhaveaccounted
forallinfrastructureneeds.Additionally,itisclearthatamuseumcannotsimplyplanawebpresenceasitmight
abrochureorcatalogamuseumsdigitalpresence
today includes not only a web site, but also social
media,mobiletoolsandapps,interactionwithonline
communities, electronic fundraising, online sales, and
muchmore.Allmustbeaddressed,whichmeansnew
skillsetswilloftenberequired.
3Funding for technology projects, even those
for interpretation and exhibition, continues to
fall outside core operational budgets. The recent
recession virtually brought to an end what had been
a promising trend in museums allocating ongoing
operationalfunds(asopposedtocapitalorprojectfunds)
forbothexperimentalandongoingtechnologyprojects.
Museums need institutionalized strategic planninginitiativesfortechnologyinfrastructureandtechnology-
relatedprojects,andinformationtechnologystaneed
better skills and opportunities to communicate the
importanceofaproperdigitalstrategy.Openlinesof
communicationanda commonvocabularymightgive
administratorsaclearerunderstandingofexactlywhat
should be operationalized rather than left to project
funds.
4Boards of Trustees and executive management
too often do not recognize the importance of
technology in generating nancial or mission return
on investment. Integratingandrecognizingtheroleof
technologyingarneringvisitors,keepingtheirinterest,
and in nancial support of the enterprise is critical
to every museums success in the world today. There
is a prominent fear amongst Boards of Trustees and
executivemanagementteamsthatthecostofinvesting
in emerging technologies (training, implementation,
etc.)willnotberepaid.However,practicalandcreative
applications such as distance learning courses, digital
collections,apps,andmorehavetheprovenabilityto
generate new audiences and potential new revenue
streamsandthecostsoftrainingarefallingatthe
sametimeasnew,easier-to-usedevicesbecomemore
thenorm.
5In many cases, museums may not have the
necessary technical infrastructure in place torealize their vision for digital learning.IntheUnited
Statesalonetherearecloseto17,000institutionsthat
self-identify as museums; many of these institutions
havefewstaandfewerresources.Whileitispractically
impossiblenottorecognizethevalueofdigitallearning
in todays connected world, the reality for museums
is that the vast majority of institutions do not have
the necessary technical infrastructure to successfullypursuegoalsfordigitallearning,andoftenhavelittle
timetodedicatetoarticulating,muchlessrealizingtheir
vision. Museums that do have resources may have to
choosetoreallocatefundsfromnon-digitaleducation
eorts inorder to implementthe necessary technical
infrastructure.
6Greater understanding is needed of therelationships, dierences, and synergies
between technology intended to be used within
the museum and public-facing technology such
as websites, social media, and mobile apps. Too
few in museum administration see the opportunities
that virtual museum visitors might be bringing for
fundraising, philanthropy, and specialized marketing.
The dichotomy between the physical and virtualmuseumvisitorisblurringrapidly,andbothaudiences
havehighexpectationswithregardtoonlineaccessto
servicesandinformation.Still,thenotionthatmuseums
mustprovidecomprehensiveinformationandservices
online is a genuine challenge, especially for smaller
museums. For larger institutions, however, providing
such services has risen to an expectation from the
visitingpublic.
7Improving the ability to measure impact using
new digital technologies is a largely unmet
but critical need. Museums are good at traditional
program evaluation, but determining the impact of
newtechnologiesonknowledge,attitudes,andskillsis
morechallenging,especiallywhenmuseumeducators
areattemptingtomeasurethesuccessoftechnologies
that may be as yet unfamiliar to them. At the same
time,thereisalsoabitofthechickenandtheeggin
understanding the rapidly changing technological
environment. A balance must be struck between
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition6
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tryingnew things, and the very prudent and sensible
desire to invest in proven strategies. There must bedemonstrationprojectstoevaluate;insomecases,the
datatoestablishecacyaresimplynotyetavailable,
andothercriteria,suchasadesiretobersttomarket
withanewidea,mustbeallowedroominthedecision
framework.
These trends and challenges are a reection of the
impact of technology in almost every aspect of ourlives.Theyareindicativeofthechangingnatureofthe
waywecommunicate,accessinformation,connectwith
peersand colleagues,learn, andevensocialize. Taken
togetherinthecontextoftheHorizonProjectresearch,
they provided the advisory board a frame through
which to consider the potential impacts of nearly 50
emergingtechnologiesandrelatedpracticesthatwere
analyzed and discussed for potential inclusion in thiseditionoftheHorizon Report.Sixofthosewerechosen
askey;theyaresummarizedbelowanddetailedinthe
mainbodyofthereport.
Technologies to WatchThe six technologies featured in the NMC Horizon
Report: 2011 Museum Edition are placed along three
adoption horizons that indicate likely time framesfor their entrance into mainstream use for museum
education and interpretation. The near-term horizon
assumesthelikelihoodofentryintothemainstreamfor
museumswithinthenexttwelvemonths;themid-term
horizon, within two to three years; and the far-term,
withinfourtoveyears.Itshouldbenotedattheoutset
thattheNMCHorizon Reportisnotapredictivetool.Itis
meant,rather,tohighlightemergingtechnologieswith
considerablepotentialforourfocusareasofeducation
andinterpretation.Eachofthesixisalreadythetarget
ofworkatanumberofinnovativeorganizationsaround
theworld,andtheprojectsweshowcasehererevealthe
promiseofawiderimpact.
Near-term Horizon
On the near-term horizon that is, within the next
12monthsaremobileappsandtablets.Thesetwo
topicshavebecomepervasiveineverydaylife,atleast
inthedevelopedworld,andmuseumaudienceshave
ever-increasingexpectationsofbeingabletolearnon
these devices whenever and wherever they may be.
Thisyear,forthersttime,tabletshavebeenseparatedfrommobilesasadistinctcategory,preservingmobiles
asacategoryfortypicalhand-helddevicesdesignedto
makecalls.
> Mobile Apps are the most relevant features of
mobiles for museums rightnow. Mobiles appeared
onthenear-termhorizonintheNMC Horizon Report:
2010 Museum Edition, with an emphasis on always-connected Internet devices using 3G and similar
cellularnetworks.Thisyear,thedrivinginterestisin
apps particularly apps that take advantage of
recentdevelopmentsinlocationawarenessandGPS.
Museumsandgalleriesarenowabletodesignmobile
experiencestailoredto thephysicallocationof their
visitors.Theintroductionofneareldcommunication
(NFC) capabilities to some new mobile devicesensuresthatthistechnologywillremaininteresting
forsometime.
> Tablets present new opportunities to enhance in-
and out-of-gallery experiences in ways simply not
possiblewithotherdevices.High-resolutionscreens
allowusersoftabletssuchastheiPadtoeasilyshare
content with each otherand pore over images and
videosonthescreen.Aspeopletendtousetabletsto
supplementandnotreplacesmartphones,tabletsare
viewedaslessdisruptivetoolsnophoneringing,
no incoming text messages, etc. which makes
themidealtoolsforlearningopportunities.Docents,
for example, are beginning to use tablets on small
grouptoursinsteadofrelyingoninformationkiosks,
andmuseumsareexperimentingwithiPadappsthat
arechild-friendlyforfamilydays.
Mid-term Horizon
Thesecondadoptionhorizonissettwo tothreeyears
out,wherewewillbegintoseewidespreadadoptions
of two technologies that are growing in popularity
within the museum community: augmented reality
andelectronicpublishing.Museumeducatorsarguably
havealwaysbeeninthebusinessofaugmentingreality,
creating bridges between objects, ideas, and visitors,
butaugmentedrealitytechnologiesarenowallowing
this to happen more uidly and easily than ever.
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Electronicpublishingallowsmuseumstosharecontent
withtheirpatronswhilereachinganentirelydierentaudience. By establishing e-publishing workows,
museumscaneasilyupdatetheire-booksandrelease
dierentversionsofpublicationswithouthavingtogo
throughthecostlyandarduousprintcycle.
> Augmented Reality has become something
anyonecanuse,thankstotheconvergenceofthree
technologies GPS, video,andpatternrecognition and the application opportunities seem endless.
Already on a path of convergence with mobile
technology, augmented reality is not bound to the
desktop,butisalsoaportabletoolfordiscovery-based
learningthatcan enhancethe informationavailable
topatronswhenvisitinggalleries,exploringoutdoor
installations,orinteractingwithreal-worldobjects.
> Electronic Publishing has fostered both new
opportunitiesandnewchallengesformuseums.New
digitalformatssuchasHTML5areenablingmuseums
todisseminatedynamic,multimediacontentacross
a wide variety of devices, alleviating the time
and resources it takes to create multiple formats.
Museums are increasingly expected to experiment
withthesenewforms,andwiththesortsofpublishing
workowsthatarepartofthecommercialpublishing
world.
Far-term Horizon
Onthefar-termhorizon,setatfourtoveyearsaway
from widespread adoption, are digital preservation
and smart objects. For years, museum professionals
havebeenexploringwaystoconservedigitalobjects
anddocumentsthatareinperilofbecomingobsolete,
due to rapidly changing technologies. While the
theory of digital preservation is increasingly well
established,thepracticeisslowintakingrootamong
cultural heritage institutions. Smart objects the
mechanismsbehindVintCerfsInternetofThingsarealreadywellestablishedin thecommercialsector
andrangealongacontinuumfromQRcodesonthe
simplest end to near eld communication (NFC) on
themorecomplexend.Theentirespectrumhasclear
applications for museums, and itis only a matter of
timebeforetheInternetofThingsbeginstoinclude
objects in museum collections. These technology
topics do not yet have well documented projectexamples or museum-specic research,but the high
levelofinterestfoundinbothareasindicatesthatthey
areworthfollowingclosely.
> Digital Preservation is not a new subject, but
its systematic application in practice is. A good
deal of research in the 1990s served to provide a
solid theoretical basis for the eld, but museumprofessionals stillface majorchallenges in not only
keeping up with technology as it evolves, but also
in taking steps to future-proof digital objects,
documents, and works of art. Over the next ve
years,asmoreprofessionalsbecomebettereducated
inthisareaofconservation,museumswillbeginto
systematically incorporate preservation metadata
when they digitize their collections, so that each
piece of digital content is supported by important
detailsthatwillfacilitateitslong-termpreservation.
> Smart Objects are a category of small devices or
methodsthatenablethreethings:rst,theyallowan
objecttobeassignedauniqueidentier;second,they
areabletoattachsmallbitsofinformation,suchasits
age,shelf life, environmental data like temperature
or humidity, and much more. Third, they are able
to communicate the status of that information on
demand, whether optically or via electromagnetic
frequencies. Advancements in smart object
technology are bringing very low cost sensors and
proximity-basedcommunicationsintothespotlight.
Asthesenewmicro-devicesbecomecommonplace,
museums will be able to easily monitor conditions
in the gallery, in storage, and in real time. Smart
objecttechnologyisbecomingmoreintegratedwith
mobilephones,andtheecommercepotentialofnear
eldcommunicationwillallowvisitorstoseamlessly
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition8
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make a purchase from the gift shop, and even have
it shipped home with a click on their NFC-enabledmobiles.
Each of these technologies is described in detail in the
main body of the report, where a discussion of what
the technology is and why it is relevant to museum
education and interpretation may also be found. Given
the practical focus of the report, a listing of examples of
the technology in use, especially in museums, is a keycomponent of each of the six main topics. Our research
indicates that all six of these technologies, taken
together, will have a signicant impact on museums
and other cultural institutions within the next ve years.
The NMC Horizon ProjectSince March 2002, under the banner of the NMC
Horizon Project, the New Media Consortium hasheld an ongoing series of conversations and dialogs
with hundreds of technology professionals, campus
technologists, faculty leaders from colleges and
universities, museum professionals, teachers and other
school professionals, and representatives of leading
corporations from dozens of countries. In the ensuing
years, these conversations have provided the insights
on emerging technology that are published annually in
the NMC Horizon Reportseries.
In 2008, the NMC embarked on a new series of regional
and sector-based companion editions of the NMC
Horizon Report, with the dual goals of understanding
how technology is being absorbed using a smaller lens,
and also noting the contrasts between technology
use in one area compared to another. This report,
the NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition, is the
second in the series focusing on museum education
and interpretation. To date, companion editions have
been prepared that center on Australia and New
Zealand, tertiary education in the UK, Iberoamerica,
the K-12 sector, and small- to medium-sized businesses.
The agship NMC Horizon Report, focused on higher
education, is translated into multiple languages every
year. Over all editions, the readership of the reports is
estimated at more than one million worldwide, with
readers in some 100 countries.
Like the university-focused eort from which it
emerged, the museum project used qualitative researchmethods to identify the technologies selected for
inclusion in the report. The process began with a survey
of the work of other organizations, a close examination
of topics previously detailed in the NMCHorizon Report
series, and a review of the literature with an eye toward
spotting interesting emerging technologies.
The 42 members of this years advisory board werepurposely chosen to represent a broad spectrum of the
museum sector; key writers and thinkers from education,
business and industry rounded out the group. They
engaged in a comprehensive review and analysis
of research, articles, papers, blogs, and interviews;
discussed existing applications, and brainstormed
new ones; and ultimately ranked the items on the list
of candidate technologies for their potential relevanceto museum education and interpretation. This work
took place entirely online and may be reviewed on the
project wiki at museum.wiki.nmc.org.
The eort to produce the NMC Horizon Report: 2011
Museum Edition began in August 2011 and concluded
when the report was released in November 2011, a
period of just over four months. The six technologies
and applications that emerged at the top of the nal
rankings two per adoption horizon are detailed in
the chapters that follow.
Each of those chapters includes detailed descriptions,
links to active demonstration projects, and a wide
array of additional resources related to the six proled
technologies. Those proles are the heart of the NMC
Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition, and will fuel the
work of the NMC Horizon Project throughout 2011-
2012. For those wanting to know more about the
processes used to generate the NMC Horizon Report
series, many of which are ongoing and extend the work
in the reports, we refer you to the reports nal section
on the research methodology.
9Executive Summary
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obile phones distinct from new sorts
of larger format mobile devices such astablets have as a category proven
more interesting and more capable with
each passing year. According to a report
from mobile manufacturer Ericsson, by 2015 80% of
people accessing the Internet worldwide will be doing
so from a mobile device. At the 2011 Mobile World
Congress, Google CEO Eric Schmidt noted that for
every baby born that year, 30 Android phones would
be activated. Mobiles are becoming better understood
by museums; there has been a signicant amount
of time spent nding creative ways to incorporate
them both in the physical space and as a tool to help
patrons stay connected to exhibits from a distance.
As museums become more adept at developing and
using mobile apps, their utility and pervasiveness is
only due to increase. Current examples of mobile apps
used in museums span functions from interpretation
and education, to marketing and promotion, to
specialized apps tied to specic exhibitions.
OverviewOver 1.2 billion newphones are produced every year
in what has proven to be an unprecedented ow
of continuous enhancement and innovation in the
capabilities of handheld devices. With each passing
year, mobiles have become more convenient, more
powerful, and more useful; their communication
capabilities include the Internet, multimedia, games,
sensor and motion technologies, and location
awareness. An outgrowth of this explosion of new
devices is that museum visitors expect to be able to
usethemanywhereincludingthepublicspacesand
galleries at museums. Indeed, practically every visitor
who walksinto amuseum orgallerytoday iscarrying
asmartphone.
The new classes of mobiles are increasingly always-
connecteddevicesthatmakeaccessingwebresourceson the Internet as simple as sending a text message,
and it was their ability to seamlessly connect via 3G
andsimilarcellularnetworksthatplacedthemonthe
near-term horizon in lastyears report.This year, they
reappearbecausetheircapabilitiesarebeingexpanded
ingeometrictermsthroughtheproliferationofmobile
applicationsappsthatextendthecapabilityand
utilityofmobilesinaseeminglyinnitevariety.
Distinct from tablets such as the iPad and Samsung
Galaxy,mobilesareinmanywaysamaturetechnology,
but they keep evolving and converging with other
devices. Museum professionals have long explored
creative applications of mobiles, at times lamenting
therelativelysmallscreens,butrecognizingthathigher
resolution displays have alleviated much of the early
concerns related to screen size. With the advent of
apps, there has been a burst of truly creative energy
as museums use mobiles to extend the museum
experience to locations both within and beyond the
gallery. The ease with which a developer can access
toolslikevideo,locationsensing,motionawareness,and
moreisgeneratingawidevarietyofmuseum-specic
applicationsthatareverydierentthanthetraditional
audio tour. One of the earliest of these, Streets of
London,alloweduserstotakeavideoofalocationand
seehistorical facts, photos, and more overlaid on the
screenatlocationsalloverthecity.
Newappsareusinglocationawarenesstoreachoutto
patronswhomaybenearbythemuseum,atacoee
shop or other location, to let them know about new
exhibits or other timely news. A new collaboration
between Google and the Getty museums uses the
photographic and search capabilities of mobiles to
provideusersasimplewaytoaccessandsavedetailed
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition10
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Apps that utilize location awareness help personalize
theexperiencefortheuser,providinginsightandnewinformation around every corner. The Powerhouse
Museumrecentlylaunchedaprojecttobuildanindoor
mobileappwithlocation-basedtracking(go.nmc.org/
xdeke) thatwill deliver customizedcontentto visitors
based on their location, as well as providing spatial
analyticsto themuseumfor consideration whenthey
plantheirnextexhibits.
Though many museums now have several years of
experiencewithmobilesbehindthem,thetechnology
continues to evolve rapidly. Most museums are still
experimentingwithwaystoutilizemobileapps,evenas
otherindustrieshavefoundmyriadwaystodoso. The
emergenceofawidevarietyofapps,alongwithsome
notably creative initial experiences, have opened the
thinking in many museums to the potential of the
device for other sorts of experiences beyond simply
accessing deeper information about an exhibition or
object. Museums need strategies for mobile content,
just as they have strategies in place for use of the
galleries, programming, marketing, and web content.
Intheshortterm,museumsmaystruggletondgood
developersconversantinthepotentialofmobiles,but
one thing is clear: the more robust mobile devices
andappsbecome,themoreimportanttheywillbefor
museums.
A sampling of mobile applications includes the
following:
> Education and Interpretation. Mobile games
are increasingly seen as an engaging way to foster
learningexperiencesoutsidethemuseumthatrelate
to current exhibits or collections therein. The rst
11Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:OneYearorLess
background information by taking a photo of a
painting,sculpture,orotherartwork.Similarly,theappcantranslatewalllabelsfromaphotoaswell.Theapp,
GoogleGoggles,isfree,andcurrentlyincludesmore
than350piecesofart.
Relevance for Museum Education andInterpretationConversations surrounding mobiles and the utility
of smartphones for museums are often less aboutthe devices themselves and more about the variety
of content and services that they deliver. The range
of technologies converging in mobile devices is very
broad, as is the variety of ways they can be applied:
GPS and compasses allow sophisticated location and
positioning;accelerometersandmotionsensorsenable
completelynewformsofcontrolandinteraction;digital
captureandeditingbringrichtoolsforhigh-resolution
video,audio,andimagecaptureandevenediting.More
andmore,mobileappsmakeuseofallthistechnology,
and the apps that museums are creating are no
exception.
Overthepastcoupleofyears,museumshaveprimarily
seenmobileappsasservingoneoftwopurposes:to
providesupplementalinformationaboutanexhibitor
the museum itself; or as a mobile guide through the
collectionorgalleryspace.Bothserveasextensionsof
thephysicalspace;creatingopportunitiesforpeopleto
becomepatronsnomatterwheretheymaybe.Muse
du Louvres free iPhoneapp isa good example of an
appthatcontainsextremelydetailedinformationabout
manyoftheirexhibits,andincludesrobustimages( go.
nmc.org/gddts). Not only is it informative, but it also
serves as compelling promotion for people to visit.
London National Gallerys app (go.nmc.org/vnzvd)
allows users to browse by artistic themes, including
lightandvanity,andcontains250videoandaudioclips.
Museumsarejustbeginningtoexplorewaystoweavein
moreinteractiveandsocialfeatures,likeallowingusers
torecommendspeciccollectionsorworksofarttotheir
friends.Whilemuchemphasishasbeenplacedonapps
that expand the experience outside of the museum,
there has also been considerable thought on how to
use them in-gallery, especially in science museums.
As museums become more adept
at developing and using mobile apps,their utility and pervasiveness isonly due to increase.
http://go.nmc.org/xdekehttp://go.nmc.org/xdekehttp://go.nmc.org/gddtshttp://go.nmc.org/gddtshttp://go.nmc.org/vnzvdhttp://go.nmc.org/vnzvdhttp://go.nmc.org/gddtshttp://go.nmc.org/gddtshttp://go.nmc.org/xdekehttp://go.nmc.org/xdeke -
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The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition12
foraysintothishavetypicallyusedScavengr,which
is a tool for developing quests or alternate realitygames,toextendthemuseumbeyonditswalls.
> Exhibits and Collections. Museums are exploring
howmobilescanbeusedtoestablishandrecognize
the identity of visitors and provide location-based
services that anticipate the wants and needs of
visitors,suchas allowing themaccess to additional
content, or even simple tasks such as making
paymentsorndingtheirwaytoanexhibit.
> Marketing and Communications. Multimedia
mobileappshavebecomeanincreasinglyusefultactic
to promote a new collection or wing of a museum.
They oer a more interactivepeek at whats new to
driveinterestincurrentandprospectivepatrons,and
ultimately, more trac to their physical spaces. The
Explorer app by the American Museum of Natural
History,forexample,iscomprisedofallthemuseums
collections and provides users with recommended
tours.
Mobile Apps in PracticeThefollowinglinksprovideexamplesofmobileappsin
useinmuseumsettings.
Balboa Parks Mobile Apps
go.nmc.org/zievx
Balboa Parks collection of mobile apps contains
everything from turn-by-turn directions to immersive
adventure games. Using location awareness, the
BalboaParkontheMeridianappguidesuserstoother
similarculturaldestinationsaroundtheU.S.
Explore 9/11
go.nmc.org/ehhkfThis app from the National September 11th Memorial
andMuseumisamobileguidetounderstanding9/11
through the eyes ofthosewho witnessedit.The app
featuresasevenstopwalkingtouroftheareaaround
the World Trade Center, accompanied by audio and
photonarration.
Mobile Guide
go.nmc.org/lcqme
Aided by the IMLS Museums for America grant, The
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art created a mobile-
optimized website that allows users to more easily
browsecollectionsandotherpertinentinformationon
theirsmartphones.
MuseumMobile
go.nmc.org/efgzf
An outgrowthofTateModerns Handheld Conference
Wiki, The MuseumMobile Wiki is a free, public space
for museumprofessionals to share bestpractices and
newideasontheuseofmobiles.Italsoincludeshelpful
MobileInterpretation&Strategyworksheets.
A Picture Worth a Thousand Links
go.nmc.org/urtlu
GoogleGoggleshaspartneredwiththeGettyMuseums
toenablevisitorstosnappicturesofpaintingsontheir
smartphones to access insightful information on the
work of art. This new tool is intended to supplement
audioguides.
For Further ReadingThefollowingarticlesandresourcesarerecommended
forthosewhowishtolearnmoreaboutmobiles.
Mobile for Museums
go.nmc.org/tnltm
(Sharon Leon, George Mason University, 2010.) The
directorofpublicprojectsattheCenterforHistoryand
NewMediaassessesthecurrentstateofthemobilefor
museums eld. The articlealso makesresearch-based
suggestions for museum professionals considering
mobileintegration.
With the advent o apps, there hasbeen a burst o truly creative energyas museums use mobiles to extendthe museum experience to locations
both within and beyond the gallery.
http://go.nmc.org/zievxhttp://go.nmc.org/ehhkfhttp://go.nmc.org/lcqmehttp://go.nmc.org/efgzfhttp://go.nmc.org/urtluhttp://go.nmc.org/tnltmhttp://go.nmc.org/tnltmhttp://go.nmc.org/urtluhttp://go.nmc.org/efgzfhttp://go.nmc.org/lcqmehttp://go.nmc.org/ehhkfhttp://go.nmc.org/zievx -
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13Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:OneYearorLess
Mobile Media for Cultural and Historical Heritage,
Guidelines and Pilot Projectsgo.nmc.org/jokod
(JasperVisser,TheMuseumoftheFuture,2May2010.)
Thisblog post describes some guidelines formuseum
statoconsiderwhenplanningamobileproject.The
guidelines emerged from a brainstorming meeting
oftheEuropeanstafromDutchDigitalHeritage,the
Dutch Museum Association, the Stedelijk Museum
(Denmark)andtheBeeldenGeluid.
Monterey Bay Aquariums Integrated Mobile
Strategy
go.nmc.org/olpit
(Beth Kanter, Beths Blog, 26 January 2011.) Beth
Kanters interview of the Senior Manager of Online
Communications at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.The
aquariumworkedcloselywithfoodservicecompanies
andrestaurateurstodevelopaniPhoneapppromoting
sustainableseafood.
Multimedia Tour Guides on Your Smartphone
go.nmc.org/wpkee
(Sam Grobart, The New York Times, 16 March 2011.)
Thisarticlediscussesthesuccessfultransitionsofsome
museums from kiosks to multimedia tours optimized
for smartphones for visitors who are seeking more
informationoncollections.
The Museum Is Mobile: Cross-Platform Content
Design for Audiences on the Go
go.nmc.org/edekv
(NancyProctor,Museums and the Web 2010: Proceedings.
Toronto: Archives & Museum Informatics, 31 March
2010.)Thispaper,presentedatMuseumsandtheWeb
2010, takes an in-depth look at how museums can
designmobileprojectsfortheirinstitutions.
Smartphones and Apps Research Findings
go.nmc.org/anyeh
(Lynda Kelly, AustralianMuseum.net, 12 August 2011.)
The Australian Museum conducted research on their
visitors use of smartphones and apps to gain insight
intothedemographicsofpeoplewhoareusingmobiles
andhowtheyarebeingused.Oneinterestingnding
waspeoplesdierentdenitionsofasmartphone.
Museums are just beginning toexplore ways to weave in moreinteractive and social eatures,like allowing users to recommend
specifc collections or works o artto their riends.
http://go.nmc.org/jokodhttp://go.nmc.org/olpithttp://go.nmc.org/wpkeehttp://go.nmc.org/edekvhttp://go.nmc.org/anyehhttp://go.nmc.org/anyehhttp://go.nmc.org/edekvhttp://go.nmc.org/wpkeehttp://go.nmc.org/olpithttp://go.nmc.org/jokod -
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n the past year, advances in tablet computers
have captured the imagination of educators and
museum professionals around the world. Led by
the incredible success of the iPad, which in 2011
was selling at the rate of more than 3 million units
a month, other similar devices such as the Samsung
Galaxy and Sonys Tablet S also have begun to enter this
rapidly growing new market. In the process, tablets (a
form that is distinct from tablet PCs) have come to be
viewed as not just a new category of mobile devices,
but indeed a new technology in their own right, one
that blends features of laptops, smartphones, and
earlier tablet computers with always-connected
Internet, and thousands of apps with which to
personalize the experience. As these new devices have
become more used and understood, it is clear that
they are independent and distinct from other mobile
devices such as smartphones, eReaders, or tablet PCs.
With signicantly larger screens and richer gestured-
based interfaces than their smartphone predecessors,
they are ideal tools for sharing content, videos, images
and presentations because they are easy for anyone
to use, visually compelling, and highly portable.
OverviewLedbythecategory-deningphenomenonthatisthe
Apple iPad, tablets have earned their own emerging
niche, completelydistinct frommobiles. Accordingto
arecentstudyfromcomScore,theiPadnowaccounts
for97%ofalltablet-basedwebtracintheU.S.and
46.8%ofallmobilewebtrac.Similarstatisticsshow
tablets are increasingly the device of choice not just
for web browsing, but also social networking and
news. Competing models, including Motorolas Xoom
and Samsungs Galaxy Tab have not yet enjoyed the
success of the iPad, but together, these companies
havesolidiedtabletsasthenewfamilyofdevicesto
watch.Immenselyportable,tabletsarewellpositioned
toreplacemagazinesinprint,andiOS5evenincludes
a newsstand that allows quick and easy access to
newspapersandmagazinesandnewsubscriptions
withameretouch.Tabletsservease-readers,photoand
videorepositories,webbrowsers,andgameplatforms
withinstantaccesstothousandsofappsallinaslim,
lightweight,portablepackagethateasilytsinapurse
orbriefcase.
Screentechnologyhasadvancedtothepointthattablets
areexceptionally eectiveat displayingvisualcontent
such as photographs and video; similar advances in
gesture-based computing have moved tablets far
beyondthepointandclickcapabilitiesoftouchscreens,
and tablets are engagingly intuitive devices to use.
These combinationsoffeaturesare especially enticing
tomuseums,andagrowingnumberofinstitutionsare
experimentingwithtablet-basedideas.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts Rooftop
Gardenapp(go.nmc.org/nnfqu),forexample,provides
360-degree views of the garden, commentary about
the sculptures, plandrawings, remarks fromSFMOMA
DirectorNealBenezraonthenishedspace,andmuch
more the app even lets users tweet about their
experienceastheyarehavingit.Thesetypesofsocial
media enhanced experiences allow users to share
their thoughts on the experience they are having,
and generate word of mouth for the museum at the
sametime.Theportabilityandrichfeaturesettablets
bringoersmuseumsafreshnewwaytothinkabout
supplementingphysicalexhibits.
Relevance for Museum Education andInterpretationWhilemuchoftheemphasiswithmobilesiscurrently
on creating opportunities for patrons outside of the
physicalspace,theappealoftabletsistheirpotential
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition14
TabletComputingTime-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less
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toenhancein-galleryexperiences.Tabletsaredesigned
tobeeasilypassedaround,andtheirlargerscreensizes
lend themselves as excellent tools for small-group
experiences. Whenusers viewcontent on tablets, the
technology tends to disappear and what remains is
clear,high-resolutionedge-to-edgeimagery.
Tablets are excellent for docent tours in particular
andtheyarechild-friendly.Built-ingeolocationcanhelp
visitors with waynding and provide proximity-based
linkstocontent;largedisplayareasandapplicationsmake
thedevicesidealforaddressingissuesofaccessibility;
and, with an evolving set of features developed with
each new release of the devices and their operating
systems,thelistofpotentialbenetscontinuestogrow
steadily.The devices provide a comparativelyelegant,
smallwaytodelivervideopreciselywhereitisneeded,
and can easily hold a considerable library of content.
Therangeofinterpretivepossibilitiesfortheserelatively
inexpensive, dependable, easy-to-use multimedia
deliverydevicesisonlybeginningtobeexplored,but
thepotentialiseasytosee.
Addingtotheirinterpretivepromise,theeasilyportable
tabletscansupportindividualexhibitsandthemuseum
asawholeatonce.Thedesignandinstallationindustry
hasbeenquickothemarktorecognizethepotential
formuseums,andtherearealreadydozensofdierent
commercial mounts available for installing these
devicesinmuseums,suchastheiPadKioskMount(go.
nmc.org/rzqmj).
MuseumsarecurrentlyinvestigatingwaystoutilizeiPads
to create productsthat supplement their exhibitsand
makethemfeelmorepersonal.TheSouthwestSchoolof
Artiscreatingamobilepodcastingstudiowiththehelp
ofaniPadandaniPadcameraadapterkit.Thepodcasts
will include conversations with the artists behind the
exhibits and provide viewers with a more intimate
perspectiveoftheirwork.TheSidRichardsonMuseum
isalsotakingadvantageoftheusefulnessof tabletsby
creatingiPadvideosthatserveastourguidesforselect
paintings.Visitorscaneasilycarrythehand-helddevice
withthemastheymovethroughthespacetolearnnew
informationabouttheartworkinfrontofthem.
A sampling of tablet computingapplications includes
thefollowing:
> Education and Interpretation. Tablets present
museums with new avenues for interpretive and
educational media that take advantage of their
large screens and gesture-based interfaces. The
AmericanMuseumofNaturalHistorysDinosaurapp,
forexample,usesthehigh-resolutioncapabilitiesof
theiPadtosharesomeofitsextensivecollectionof
dinosaurfossilsandrenderingsofprehistorictimes.
> Exhibitions and Collections.Anumberofmuseums
are experimenting with the use of iPads and other
tabletsasin-galleryresourcesthateitherextendthe
exhibitoraddwaysforvisitorstoexploretheconcepts
ondisplayinmoredepth.TheNewWalkMuseum&
ArtGalleryinLeicester,England,forexample,isusing
iPadstoprovidevisitorstoanexhibitionofworksby
Gerhard Richter with visual interpretations by four
digitalartists.
> Marketing and Communications.Appsthathighlight
aspectsofmuseumscollectionsorupcomingexhibitions
areincreasinglybeingseenasawaytogenerateinterest
andvisits.TheMuseumofModernArt,forexample,
hascreatedanappthatallowsuserstondoutabout
currentandupcomingexhibitions,lmschedules,and
program dates, plan a tour, or browse or search the
thousandsofartworksinthecollection.
15Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:OneYearorLess
Screen technology has advanced
to the point that tablets areexceptionally eective at displayingvisual content such as photographsand video.
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Tablet Computing in PracticeThe following links provide examples of tablet
computinginuseinmuseumsettings.
Drawing the Buddha
go.nmc.org/mylbq
As part of their Family Day series, the San Antonio
Museum of Art designed a set of hands-on activities
aroundtheiPadwhereparticipantsusedadrawingapp
tocreatetheirperceptionsofBuddha.Participantsare
then able toprint out these drawings and take them
home.
Go Figure
go.nmc.org/fmjgj
The University of Chicagos Smart Museum of Arts
exhibit, Go Figure, incorporates several wall-mounted
tabletsthatarepre-loadedwithcuratorialvideosthat
featuretalksfromtheartists,enablingpatronstogeta
morepersonalsenseofthepeoplebehindtheobjects.
Me Draw on iPad
go.nmc.org/omefg
This exhibit at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
features complex drawings created by artist David
HockneyonhisiPad.Theinstallationshowcasesslides
ofhisworkacross20iPads.Inmanyofthepieces,he
uses only his ngers to create full-color images with
layeredbrushstrokes.
Tour Arctic Museum Exhibition with Student-
Designed iPad App
go.nmc.org/mksmx
DesignedbytwostudentsfromBowdoinUniversity,ThePeary-MacMillanArctic Museums interactive iPad tour
istargetedatchildrentoteachthemaboutanimalsin
theArcticthroughgamesandquizzes.
WaterWorx
go.nmc.org/whnwm
The Powerhouse Museums WaterWorx in-gallery
interactive allows visitors to learn about managing
urbanwatersystemsthroughagamethatisspecially
designedfor the iPad. Usersare able tocontrol water
managementtasksthroughthetouchscreen.
Wikipop iPads
go.nmc.org/vmwhw
During Brooklyn Museums Wikipop project, they
installed several iPads both inside and outside the
gallerytodeterminewhereandhowvisitorspreferred
tousethem.Theyfoundthatmanypatronsusingthe
iPadsdidsoforlengthyperiodsoftime.
For Further ReadingThefollowingarticlesandresourcesarerecommended
for those who wish to learn more about tablet
computing.
The Avatar and the iPad
go.nmc.org/dpijm
(Jennifer Bantz, Brooklyn Museum, 6 July 2011.) This
post is a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation
andanalysisstagesforaBrooklynMuseumexhibitthat
includesiPadkiosks.UsingtheiPads,visitorscanchoose
andconnectwithavatarsthatbecometheiridentiers
astheyexploretheexhibit.
Educators Evaluate Learning Benets of iPad
go.nmc.org/whlnr
(IanQuillen, Education Week,15June2011.)Thisarticle
discussestheuseofiPadsaslearningtools,anddelves
into the ongoing discourse about whether they are
more viable for one-to-one solutions or as part of a
groupofshareddevices.
Find Out How an iPad Might Get People Back into
Museums
go.nmc.org/znvvi
(Douglas Britt, Houston Chronicle, 23 May 2011.)
ThroughexploringseveralsuccessfuliPadprojects,thisarticlebuildsthecasethatthisblockbustertabletwill
helpcreatemoreengagementamongmuseumpatrons
andevenenticenewones.
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition16
The portability and rich eatureset tablets bring oers museums
a resh new way to think aboutsupplementing physical exhibits.
http://go.nmc.org/mylbqhttp://go.nmc.org/fmjgjhttp://go.nmc.org/omefghttp://go.nmc.org/mksmxhttp://go.nmc.org/whnwmhttp://go.nmc.org/vmwhwhttp://go.nmc.org/dpijmhttp://go.nmc.org/whlnrhttp://go.nmc.org/znvvihttp://go.nmc.org/znvvihttp://go.nmc.org/whlnrhttp://go.nmc.org/dpijmhttp://go.nmc.org/vmwhwhttp://go.nmc.org/whnwmhttp://go.nmc.org/mksmxhttp://go.nmc.org/omefghttp://go.nmc.org/fmjgjhttp://go.nmc.org/mylbq -
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Using the iPad in Museum Work
go.nmc.org/lyuxv
(MarkWilson,WoosterGeologists,8August2011.)This
articleexplores the benets of museum professionals
using iPad camera apps and features to capture
photographsofverysmallspecimens.Theauthoralso
discusses various reading and writing programs for
scienticpapers.
Using the iPad with Group Tours
go.nmc.org/tnjkv
(ScottSayre,MIDEA,3May2011.)Onemuseumscholar
sharescreativeideasandbestpracticeson integrating
the iPad into docent tours. One of his best practice
recommendations includes limiting the group size to
10-12people.
What Can the iPad do for Museums?
go.nmc.org/zlzlq
(ScottBillings,MuseumNext,4January2011.)Thisarticle
exploreshowmuseumsandgalleriescanexploitiPad
technologyto create moreinteractive experiences for
patrons,bothinsideandoutsideofthephysicalspace.
17Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:OneYearorLess
When users view content on tablets,the technology tends to disappear
and what remains is clear, high-resolution edge-to-edge imagery.
Th NMC H i R 2011 M Edi i18
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ugmented reality (AR), a capability that has
been around for decades, is shifting from
what was once seen as a gimmick to a tool
with tremendous potential. The layering of
information over 3D space produces a new
experience of the world, sometimes referred to as
blended reality, and is fueling the broader migration
of computing from the desktop to the mobile device,
bringing with it new expectations regarding access
to information and new opportunities for learning.
While the most prevalent uses of augmented reality so
far have been in the consumer sector (for marketing,
social engagement, amusement, or location-based
information), new uses seem to emerge almost daily, as
tools for creating new applications become even easier
to use. Specically in the museum sector, AR provides
patrons the opportunity to see how something is being
done instead of listening to a docents explanation. As
AR technologies and platforms become more readily
available and aordable, museums will see the use
of augmented reality and 3D technologies increase
dramatically. Museums will need to consider how the
level of immersion oered to patrons can be balanced
against the desire of many visitors to have a quieter
experience.
Overview
The concept of blending or augmenting what
we see in the real world with related information,
data, media, and even live action is a powerful one.
Augmentedrealityaimstodojustthatasameansto
enhance the information we can perceive with our
senses. The rst modern application of augmented
reality was when a cinematographer developed a
simulatorintheearly1960sthatincorporatedvisuals,smells,andvibrations.Bythe1990s,augmentedreality
wasbeingputtousebyanumberofmajorcompanies
for visualization, training, and other purposes. Now,
the technologies that make AR possible are powerful
and compact enough to deliver augmented reality
experiencestopersonalcomputersandevenmobile
devices. Early mobile applications began to appear
in2008,and now many AR applications and toolsfor
mobilesareonthemarket.
Augmented reality applications can either be marker-
based, which means that the camera must perceive
a specic visual cue in order for the software to call
up the correct information, or markerless. Markerless
applicationsusepositionaldata,suchasamobilesGPS
andcompass,orimagerecognition,whereinputtothe
cameraiscomparedagainstalibraryofimagestonda
match.Markerlessapplicationshavewiderapplicability
since they function anywhere without the need for
speciallabelingorsupplementalreferencepoints.Layar
(go.nmc.org/rfomi) has been a leader in this space
with augmented reality applications for the Android
and iPhone platforms. Layar Vision is a markerless
application of AR that makes iteasy to develop apps
that can recognize real world objects and overlay
informationontopofthem.
In the commercial and entertainment sectors,
augmentedrealityhasbeenusedsoeectively,itisoften
notevennoticedbythecasualobserver.Forexample,the oating yellow line that appears in telecasts of
American football games is an AR application that
represents where a team must drive to reach arst
down.Gameswerequicktointegratethe technology,
andearlyexamplessuchasHaloandRainbow Sixmade
the presentation ofheads up datacommonplace. In
bothoftheseexamples,theaddedinformationisseen
bymostobserversassimplypartoftheexperience.
Today,advancementsbothinARtechnologyandmobile
capabilities are increasingly driving this technology
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into the handheld space. The cameras and screens in
smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices now
serve as uniquely convenient tools to combine real
worlddatawithvirtualdata.Sensor-basedARusesGPS
capability, image recognition, and the devices built-
incompassestopinpointwhereamobiledeviceison
theplanetandwhereitscameraispointing,andthen
usesthatinformationtooverlayrelevantfacts,data,or
visualsatappropriatepointsonthescreen.
Augmentedrealityappearedinthemid-termhorizonin
theNMC Horizon Report: 2010 Museum Edition primarily
foritsconvergencewithmobiles,andremainstherefor
2011.Whiletheuseofaugmentedrealityisincreasingly
common in childrens and science museums where
interacting with exhibits is an expected part of the
visitorexperience,ithasbeenslowertondapplications
in art and historical museums where the objects on
display are often fragile or very rare. Nonetheless, an
applicationthatisndingincreasingtractionistheuse
of augmented reality to extend the museum and its
missionbeyonditsphysicalsetting.
Oneoftherstsuccessstoriesofthistypeofaugmented
reality app was Museum of LondonsStreetmuseum,
(go.nmc.org/pwpkr) which encourages users to learn
London history simply by pointing their mobiles at
historicalbuildingsandsites;thevideofeedfromthe
cameraisoverlaidwithnotabletidbitsandevenarchival
photosthatilluminatethehistoryofthecity.TheHull
History Viewer for Android phones (go.nmc.org/zdnq)
usesasimilarapproachtodisplayartistrenderingsof
KingstonUponHullasitappearedbeforeitwaslargely
destroyedintheBlitzcampaignofWorldWarII.
Themostcommon usesofaugmentedreality currently
are in entertainment and marketing, but museums are
quicklyfollowingasthetechnologymaturesandbecomes
even more simplied.The broad appeal of augmented
realityresideswithinitsdiverseapplicationstheability
to incorporate the technology into games, activities,
presentations,movies,andeveninvestigativetools.
Relevance for Museum Education andInterpretationAugmentedrealityisatechnologyperfectlysuitedfor
oneofthekeyfunctionsofmuseums:interpretation. As
AR technologies and platforms become more readily
availableandaordable,historyandsciencemuseums
are quickly nding uses for augmented reality both
inside and outside the exhibit oor that incorporate
additional detail and information right into the
experience. Art museums have been slower to adopt
augmentedreality,astheygrapplewithbalancingthe
levelofimmersionoeredtomuseumvisitorsthrough
AR technologies against the needs ofwhatRob Stein
oftheIndianapolisMuseumofArthasdescribedasthe
solace-seekingvisitorwhodesiresaquietexperience
with art, but early experiments show tremendous
promiseformuseumandarteducation.
One of the easiest ways to visualize the potential of
augmented reality istheeasewithwhich itcanmake
invisiblethingsvisible,suchastheX-raypicturesorthe
preparatorydrawingsofacenturies-oldpainting,orto
restorethingstoapreviousstate,suchasillustratingthe
waytheBerlinWallappearedbeforeitwastorndown,
in situ. Using simple o-the-shelf tools, museums are
easily able to provide straightforward, yet engagingvisuals and facts that are layered over objects or
physicalsettingswhenviewedthroughtheirphonesor
tablets.Providingvisitorslayeredinformationaboutan
objectorexhibitionisasimple,non-invasiveapproach
togivingusersadeeperexperience.
A groundbreaking project by the City of Philadelphia
Department of Public Records has used sensor-basedaugmentedrealityasawaytoshowcasesome93,000
historicphotographsfromthecitysarchives.Working
with geographic services company, Azavea, they
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Providing visitors layeredinormation about an object orexhibition is a simple,non-invasive approach to givingusers a deeper experience.
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mappedtheentirePhillyHistorycollectionusingsensor-
based augmented reality. Not only did they create a
richly detailed resource available to anyone with an
AndroidoriOS-baseddevice,buttheyalsocapturedthe
entiredevelopmentprocessinawhitepaper.(Seethe
ForFurtherReadingsectionbelow.)
ARalsohasthepotentialtoimpactmuseumresearch
and scholarshipas researchers and students beginto
explorethistechnologyasasimpleandeectiveway
toputcomplexdataintocontext.Inmanyways,ARcan
be seen as an intuitive doorway through which data
can be easily attached toreal world objects, settings,
and processes that facilitates a deeper meaning and
understanding of what is being seen. Adding to the
experience, most of the current tools do this in ways
thattheusercancontrolandmanipulateinrealtime.
A sampling of applications of augmented reality
includesthefollowing:
> Education and Interpretation. Augmented reality
oers visitors the ability to call up structural, x-ray,
or other scientic information related to an object
ondemand,whilehavingalmostnoimpactonthe
physicalspace.
> Exhibitions and Collections. Within a culture in
which visitors can rarely touch the objects in thecollections, augmented reality has strong potential
to provide a form of interaction with objects that
otherwisewouldnotbepossible.
> Marketing and Communications. Coupled with
location-based services, augmented reality is an
important tool in taking a museums collections
and content beyond the institutions walls. AR is
progressivelybeingusedasamarketingstrategyto
immerseaprospectivevisitorinanexhibitfromtheir
computer or mobile to pique their interest in the
physicalcollection.
Augmented Reality in PracticeThe following links provide examples of augmented
realityinuseinmuseumsandothersettings.
Browsing the Powerhouse Museum Around Sydney
go.nmc.org/xjety
ThePowerhouseMuseumhasdevelopedanaugmented
realityapplicationthatcapturesthehistoryofSydney,
Australia, by allowing visitors to use their mobile
phonestosnappicturesandseethecityasitappeared
onehundredyearsago.
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
go.nmc.org/tcvdd
Anaugmentedrealitymusicalgame,featuredintheChicago
Museum of Science and Industrys permanent exhibition
YOU! The Experience,turnsa2Dcardintoavirtualkeyboard.
Theuserrepeatsthreeroundsofincreasinglydicultnote
sequences. Afterward,thecardcallsupavisualizationofthe
brain,showingitsactivityduringthegame.
CultureClic
go.nmc.org/uxiqm
CultureClic is a free iPhone augmented reality
application that allows visitors to explore more than
500 paintings, photographs, and engravings in Paris,Bordeaux,Lyon,andMarseilleswhilestandinginthe
locationdepictedintheartwork.
A Future for the Past (Video)
go.nmc.org/dcmiz
In 2009, the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam
presented an exhibition entitledA Future for the Past
which included two prototype augmented realityapplications:AvirtualreconstructionofSatricum,and
an annotated landscape on an 1855 photograph of
ForumRomanum.Thisvideodescribestheexhibition.
The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Museum Edition20
AR can be seen as an intuitivedoorway through which data canbe easily attached to real world
objects, settings, and processes thatacilitates a deeper meaning andunderstanding o what is being seen.
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Getty Museum: Augmented Reality of the Augsburg
Display Cabinet
go.nmc.org/arskw
Thisaugmentedrealityproject enablesviewers totake
adetailedlookattheintricatelycarvedanddecorated
Augsburg Cabinet (1630), bringing this unique piece
closertovisitorswithoutriskingharmtotheobject.
Metaio and Louvre-DNP Museum Lab (Video)
go.nmc.org/mlyjb
This joint project between the Louvre and augmented
realitydevelopmentrmMetaioisdevelopingmaterialto
enhanceexhibitsandcollections.Thisvideodemonstrates
a prototype device that overlays augmented reality
contentontothemuseumsgalleryspaces.
Who Do You Think You Really Are?
go.nmc.org/uqthc
The London Natural History Museum developed
an interactive dinosaur lm optimized for tablets
that incorporates gesture-based manipulation and
augmented reality, where extinct creatures appear to
roamtheAttenboroughStudiospace.
For Further ReadingThefollowingarticlesandresourcesarerecommendedfor
thosewhowishtolearnmoreaboutaugmentedreality.
Augmented Reality in the Museum
go.nmc.org/mgicj
(Scott Billings, MuseumNext, 31 January 2011.)
This post explores several museums projects that
are incorporating augmented reality through
mobile apps, virtual buildings, and more. He poses
the issue of whether AR enhances the museumexperience or becomes the experience itself.
Augmented Reality on Smartphones Brings
Teaching Down to Earth
go.nmc.org/vgjyv
(Sophia Li, Chronicle of Higher Education, 20 June
2010.) This article showcases some learning
projects that incorporate augmented realityon smartphones, including the University of
Wisconsin Madisons ARIS, which allows users
to link text, audio, and video to physical location.
Getting Started with AR
go.nmc.org/frqcb
(Craig Kapp, The Pixel Farm, July 2010.) Augmented
realitydeveloperCraigKapphascompiledanexcellent
listofresourcesaimedatbeginnerswhoareinterested
inexperimentingwithaugmentedrealityapplications,
including mixed reality textbooks and 3D baseball
cards.
If You Are Not Seeing Data, You Are Not Seeing
go.nmc.org/exkwl
(Brian Chen, Wired Gadget Lab, 25 August 2009.)This
article gives a good overview of augmented reality,
includingwhatnewapplicationstoexpectinthefuture.
Theauthor notesthatadvertising agencies havebeen
amongtherstindustriestomostinnovativelyusethe
technologyandcitesspecicexamples.
Implementing Mobile Augmented Reality
Technology for Viewing Historic Images (PDF)
go.nmc.org/efhqb
(CityofPhiladelphiaDepartmentofRecordsandAzavea ,
2011.) In this paper bygeographic services company,
Azavea, and the Philadelphia Department of Records,
the authors describe how they used augmented
reality as an immersive way for users to access over
93,000imagesandmapsavailableinthePhillyHistory database:go.nmc.org/jwqpq.
Mixing Realities to Connect People, Places,
and Exhibits Using Mobile Augmented Reality
Applications
go.nmc.org/wnmbq
(RobRothfarb,MuseumVirtualWorlds,14April2011.)
This article is a great resource for discovering thecurrent most eective AR programs at museums.The
author shares background information on how AR-
basedexhibitswereplannedandprototyped.
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ow that it is rmly established in the consumer
sector, electronic publishing is beginning to
demonstrate capabilities that challenge the
boundaries between print and digital, still
image and video, passive and interactive.
Modern digital workows support all manner of
possible publication, from traditional print to digital,
web, video, and even interactive content. Building in
the full spectrum of potential publishing avenues
print, web, video, mobiles and tablets, and interactives
from the beginning is not only a way to streamlineproduction overall, but also to increase the reach of
the materials produced by leveraging the content over
a wide range of media. Modern media companies have
been at the vanguard of this conversion. Magazine
writers, for example, will produce a piece so that it
will work in the magazine, on the web, and in video
and the nished product may appear in any or all of
those outlets. The reason electronic publishing resideson the mid-term horizon is because museums and
their publishing arms generally do not have sucient
sta, infrastructure, and systems in place to manage
the workows for simultaneous publication across
multiple media, nor do they typically see the potential
in ways that commercial publishers do.
OverviewElectronicpublishingallowscontentcreatorstodesign
andproduceapieceirrespectiveoftheformatinwhich
itmayultimatelyappear,andthusfosterstheexibility
to easily port content into many dierent formats,
providingpeoplewithavarietyofreadingoptions.With
eachformatcomesauniqueexperiencethatisconstantly
progressing to include more enhanced features at
everyturn.Notmeanttoreplacemoretraditionalprintmaterials,butinstead,tosupplementandexpandthe
oeringsavailabletoreadersandconsumers,electronic
publicationshavebecomecommonplace,andallmajor
magazinesandperiodicalshaveatleastoneelectronic
variant, if not many. Electronic publishingreects the
convergenceofseveraldierentformsofdigitalmedia
intoasinglestreamofproduction.
Inthemidstoftherapidgrowthofelectronicpublications
over the past few years, commercial publishers, not
unlikethemusicindustryinyearspast,haveseentheir
business models tested by the emergence of high
quality digital materials. As a result, they also faced
the inherent challenge of changing their strategies
andworkowsallatthespeedatwhichtechnology
was evolving. Since 2009, publishing houses have
given a great deal of consideration to deploying the
moststreamlinedprocessesforgenerating,producing,
and marketing content. Before electronic publishing,
therewerentas many moving pieces, and the pieces
themselves were more easily understood; publishing
meant print, words, and perhaps pictures. Video andmultimedia were distinct forms, but such distinctions
areincreasinglyhardtomake.
Todayspublishersseethemselvesasmediacompanies,
producing content for whatever delivery formats will
achievethegreatestreach.Withtheadventofemerging
new formats, publishers are able to create dierent
versions of a piece i.e. an extended version withauthorinterviewsorwithafoldoutofglossyimages
and tailor them to distinct audiences. Content is
capturedjustonceforavarietyofpotentialapplications.
Today, it is not uncommon for the same promotional
videoclipforabooktobeembeddedintheelectronic
publication, uploaded to YouTube, and published on
theauthorswebsite.
The increasing expansion of HTML5 in the past year is
possibly the most signicant recent development for
electronicpublishingworkows.PublishersviewHTML5
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as the solution to the jungle of proprietary electronic
publishingformatsthatlimitedthegrowthofelectronic
publishinginitially.HTML5enablesapageinadocument
torenderasawebpageinthefullestsenseofthatconcept,
and torender that page inwhatever fashion optimizes
theoriginaldesignforaparticularplatform.HTML5also
usesthesamecodingtodisplaythatsamepageacross
anyotherplatformsanddevicesthatsupportHTML5
anever-expandingassortment,includingiPads,iPhones,
laptops,anddesktops.Evenvideoandimageswilldisplay
morevibrantlyunderthenewstandard.
Over the past few years, commercial publishers have
embraced electronic publishingand proven its worth
atAmazon,e-booksnowoutsellprintedbooks,and
magazinesareoneofthetopcontentcategoriesforthe
iPad. Consumers have come to expect that they can
readacatalog,brochure,orbookonwhateverdevice
theyhappentobecarrying.
Museumshavebeenslowtojointhemovetoelectronic
publishing,bothintermsofworkow,andintermsof
output.Itisraretoseeaprintedmuseumpublication
inadigitalformatotherthanAcrobat,whichisbased
ontreatingcontentasimagesasopposedtotheuid
and dynamic approaches used in HTML5. Likewise,
museums rarely have a production sta that is ableto capture content in ways that support multiple
distribution formats; indeed, it is quite common for
museumstosimplyoutsourceproductionanddesign,
an approach that locks in the product at the outset.
Adding in new notions about content capture that
willsupportelectronicpublishingisforcingmuseums
torethinktheirprocesses,andcurrentlymanyofthem
are still in the strategizing and conceptual phases.Ultimately, electronic publishing resides in the mid-
term horizon because best practice workows have
notyetbeenimplementedtoanydiscernibledegreein
museumpublishing;asearchformuseumcasestudies
of electronic publishing projects did not yield many
concreteexamples.
Relevance for Museum Education andInterpretationElectronic publishing has become the norm in
commercial publishing over the past few years, and
museumprofessionals,longaccustomedto producing
publications with rich imagery and content, have
beguntoconsidertheaordancesofmovingbroadlyto
electronicpublishingmodels.Adaptingworkowsthat
fullyembraceelectronicpublishing,however,areoften
challenging for most museums, for which publishing
generally means printing, and video generally means
preparingcontentforDVD.
Thereiscurrentlyacommonprocessformostmuseum
workows:anendproductisvisualizedanddeneshow
the project proceeds. A catalog project, for example,
wouldbedenedinprintterms,andwhilemuseums
regularly create beautiful and very inventive catalogs,
themediumexcludesfeaturessuchasvideo,animations,
or interactive multimedia, which would make for a
compellingelectronicversion.Webprojectsandvideoprojectsareconceivedinasimilarfashion.Becauseof
this,inmostcases,thecopyanddesignforprintand
web projects are managed as completely separate
processes, each driving toward their own predened
endproduct.Inthisscenario,addingnewmedia,such
as e-pubs or other new formats, is essentially adding
another project, as well as the additional costs to
supportit.
Electronic publishing turns that model end over end,
and separates content production and design from
Electronic publishing allows contentcreators to design and produce a
piece irrespective o the ormatin which it may ultimately appear,and thus osters the exibilityto easily port content into many
dierent ormats, providing peoplewith a variety o reading options.
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the medium in which that content may ultimately
appear.Whilespecializationhas itsmerits, themissed
opportunity in the old school model is to look at
content in a way that could support any potential
use. The idea is not to bolt electronic publications
onto existing publishing workows, or to add them
as separate processes, but rather to integrate all
interrelatedcontentproductionintoasingleworkow
thatoersthepossibilityofpublishinginmanyformats
includingprintandthewebbutalsovideo,social
media,e-pubs,mobileappsandinteractives,andtodo
soinwaysthatworkacrosstherangeofdevices.
When the notion of content is separated from the
notionofmedium,itisfareasiertoconsiderhowand
where to capture video, imagery, text, audio, and so
forth,becausetheideaistoensureallofthoseformsare
capturedatthebeginningoftheprocess.Thebenets
formuseumsarethesameastheyareforcommercial
publishers it minimizes the incremental cost of
supporting new forms of publication by integrating
theircontentproductionanddesign.Forexample,once
thedecisionismadetosupportHTML5,aprintdesign,a
webdesign,andane-pubdesignallowfromthesame
basicdesignwork,enablingnotonlypublicationsinavarietyofformats,butaminimumofadditionalworkto
makeallthreerenderthatdesignoptimally.
In addition to electronic publishings embrace of the
growing number of digital formats and media, the
process makesit very easy toproduce variations ofa
story,customizedfora particularaudience.Becauseof
thecompellingexibilityelectronicpublishingprovides,agrowingnumberofmuseumsarebeginningtothink
aboutadoptinganelectronicpublishingmodel.
A sampling of applications of electronic publishing
includesthefollowing:
> Education and Interpretation. Publishing content
inavarietyofformatswillalloweducatorstoeasily
createspecializedversionsofexhibitioncontentfor
distance learning and other forums, while curators
willbeabletoeasilymodifyanelectronicpublication
to suit specic audiences, such as art historians or
studentsoftechniques.
> Exhibitions and Collections. The use of electronic
publishing approaches in the production of
supportingcontentfortravelingorspecialexhibitions
would greatly enhance the options a receiving
museumwouldhaveforthecreationofspecialized
publications.
> Marketing and Communications. An electronicpublishing workow gives marketing professionals
accesstoawiderangeofoptionsforpromotingan
eventorexhibition,andmakesiteasyformuseumsto
haveauniformdesignacrosstheprintpublications,
web, social media, and e-marketing materials
associatedwiththecampaign.
Electronic Publishing in PracticeThe following links provide examples of electronic
publishing.
Book Creator
go.nmc.org/xprew
Book Creator is an iPad app that allows users with
minimaldevelopmentexperiencetodesign,create,and
producee-booksontheiriPads.UserscanthenexportthemtobeplacedandevensoldintheiBookstore.
The British Librarys Turning the Pages
go.nmc.org/lvu
Turning the Pages is an interactive display system
that uses Adobe Shockwave to share its electronic
publicationswiththepublic.Peopleareabletoactually
turnthepagesofmanuscriptsviatheirtouchscreens.
Consumers have come to expectthat they can read a catalog,brochure, or book on whatever
device they happen to be carrying.
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National Museums Scotland
go.nmc.org