LiveScience andparticipatory projects
Ilse van ZeelandExhibitions@xajieda
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
A new Naturalis
LiveScience 2018
Open museum
Open ≠ Transparant
No glass
It’s real
Experiment!
LiveScience open in april 2011
Participation in LiveScience
Participation projects in LiveScience:
1. “Help the scientist”
2. Crowdsourcing object labels
3. “Many hands”
1. Help the scientist
1. Help the scientist
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
2. Crowdsourcing: Typing labels
2. Crowdsourcing: application
2. Crowdsourcing: application
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
3. Many hands
3. Many hands
Enter the Dark Side…
DEMON 1 Scientist
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, ………
DEMON 2 Collections
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)
DEMON 3 Marketing
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)
DEMON 4 Visitors
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.
DEMON 5 Education
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)
ECSA
Ilse van ZeelandExhibitions@xajieda
Barbara: “if my precious orchid books can have a place in LiveScience, i will work regulairly orchid determination questions i receive.
Marco: “If i have sufficient space for my students i will give my botany classes in Live Science”
Anne: “If there is a space for a “Paleolab” i will continously work in LiveScience on dino material with my team”
Koos: “In Livescience i could have a physical place for my citizen science project”
worldwide.”