A history of digitization:Dutch museums

Trilce Navarrete HernandezAdviser John Mackenzie Owen

ICG promovendie bijeenkomst 3 april 2013

50 years in 15 minutes:

Why this research? Problem statement

Methodology

Findings

Navarrete - A history of digitization

What is a (digital) collection / a (digital) museum?

Navarrete - A history of digitization

What is a (digital) collection / a (digital) museum?

Why: digitization has brought an adjustment to raison d’être and modus operandi. Institutions (and policy makers) are not clear on the effects of past digital practice on (future) digital collections

Research question: What processes have Dutch museums followed to adopt information technologies and how are these reflected in the digital museum?

Navarrete - A history of digitization

Definitions / limitations

Digitization: adoption and adaptation of computers to the work process. Involves the use of digital means and results in an organizational transformation. A digital museum has fully adopted digitization.

Digital collection: information about collections (digitized, born-digital). Includes data as well as the information system. Data can be text, image, video, sound. Information systems contain structures (e.g. thesauri).

Population: Dutch museums (ca. 810). Most data available is from National museums (30), misrepresenting municipal, local and private museums. Case studies allowed deeper information access and analysis.

Historic review: starts with the ‘first digitization subsidy’ (1969) and ends in 2013. First national history of digitization (in the world). Focus on museum sector but can inform other sectors.

Navarrete - A history of digitization

The research object: the digital collection

MuseumMuseum

VisitorVisitor

PolicyPolicy

MM

The digital collection is formed in response to three main forces: the museum providing the core collection, the policy makers, and the private consumer.

Each provides and receives from participating in its making.The relations can be seen changing in time.

OCWEU

OCWEU

Navarrete - A history of digitization

Art / History

Art / History

Natural History / Science

Natural History / Science

MaritimeMaritime

The research project: two dimensions

Literature review

Literature review

Case studiesCase studies

Future trendsFuture trends

Historic reviewHistoric review

EthnographicEthnographic

MuseumMuseumTechnologyTechnology

FinancingFinancing

PolicyPolicy

VisitorVisitor

Economictheory

Economictheory

Information Science

Information Science

HistoryHistory

+

UniversityUniversity

Navarrete - A history of digitization

The findings

Benefits of being in the NetworkBenefits of being in the Network

Communication with the public changesCommunication with the public changes

New set of definitionsNew set of definitions

Adoption depends on interpretationAdoption depends on interpretation

Navarrete - A history of digitization

The findings

Adoption depends on interpretationAdoption depends on interpretation

Museums encountered computers about 50 years ago. Computers were used as a tool for administration (inventory), now computers permeate work in the entire organization. It used to be about automating a process, now it is about being digital.

SCOT Social Construction of Technology supports analysis in history:

Interpretation and social positioning influences how technology is adapted, and adopted. For that, history must look at successes as well as failures.

We appear to be at a closure moment, we agree computers are about being connected in a network of information.

Navarrete - A history of digitization

The findings

Adoption depends on interpretationAdoption depends on interpretation

Museums used to work in isolation. Digitization has led to the formation of networks. Networks have benefits and disadvantages.

Network theory serves to explain this: Disadvantages: they can be restrictive once the standard has been chosen. Leads to winner takes all, reducing variety.

Benefits: grows with number of members (n2-n = a network of 10 has a value of 100).

The new value of museums depends on their ability to be part of the network, with higher value to those that serve as nodes.

Benefits of being in the NetworkBenefits of being in the Network

Navarrete - A history of digitization

The findings

Adoption depends on interpretationAdoption depends on interpretation

The visitor used to depend on the museum to see the collections. Digitization allows the museum to satisfy the information need of the visitor (e.g. using Google). This has represented a fundamental change in the way museums position themselves in society (raison d’être).

Information science provides a communication model with key selection moments that determine the qualities of an exchange:

The producer (museum) selects what to produce and how to distribute in the information market (the Internet). The consumer (visitor) selects what to use: the right information, in the format, in the right amount, at the right time (ideally free).

Selection from the visitor gives value to the museum information.

Communication with the public changesCommunication with the public changes

Navarrete - A history of digitization

The findings

Adoption depends on interpretationAdoption depends on interpretation

The relevance of museums depends on their response to the networked market of information. It is not about using computers but about being digital:

Changing the work process taking advantage of the new tool, opening the communication channels letting the visitor in, revising the concept of a collection including the digital side, expanding the borders of the museum being enrich by other information sources, reinventing the role in society positioning themselves as nodes, allowing their main asset (information) to flourish sharing with the network.

New set of definitionsNew set of definitions

MuseumMuseum TechnologyTechnology Digital Museum

Digital Museumwwwwww

Navarrete - A history of digitization

Thank you !

Ideas ? Comments ? Questions ?

Navarrete - A history of digitization