In March 2020, I joined the Museums & Community: Today & Tomorrow Panel.
The Panel was convened on behalf of The American Alliance of Museums. The Panel explores how museums currently serve communities, what community members want from museums, and how museums might serve communities following the global health crisis.
The Panel Moderator asks questions. Panelists provide in-depth, thoughtful responses.
Below is a sample Panel Moderator Question and my Answer.
Question: Virtual Content – Expand, Maintain, or Not Worth It?
Posted on July 14, 2020
Last week, some of you specifically mentioned the virtual offerings of museums during the pandemic. This is something that some museums have invested huge amounts of time, effort, and resources in over the past few months. As the virus continues to spread, and our communities close, open, and now some are reclosing, we’d like to check in with you about what’s working and what isn’t virtually.
First: quality and content
- Has there been anything you have seen a museum (or other informal learning organization) do that you have felt is particularly wonderful and/or effective? What was it and why did you appreciate it so much?
- Have there been any offerings from museums that you felt were not worth it? They weren’t effective or worth your time (or the museum’s, perhaps)?
- Are there things you would like to see museums do to make virtual content more meaningful? For example, if you are baking more, perhaps content around the science of baking, or historical or cultural background? Or, thinking of this question in a different way, perhaps addressing some of the rapid societal changes we are experiencing?
Second: barriers, logistics, and costs
- What is your biggest barrier (or barriers) to engaging with museums virtually?
- What time commitment is ideal for you? Do you want very short things (<10 minutes), programs that last an hour or two, or longer-term commitments (such as a recurring class)?
- Are you willing to pay for content? If so, how much? If there is a fee, would you prefer a one-time fee /subscription, or individually priced programs? If you are a member of a museum, how does that affect the fee you might pay?
Finally: is it worth it?
- How important is it to you that museums continue to add to their virtual resources? Is it worth the efforts of museums to do this, or would you rather they devote their resources elsewhere (and if so, to do what)?
Feel free to add anything else you would like to add about virtual content.
Answer
I’ve seen some great virtual videos about museum collections. The Cincinnati Art Museum has a daily feature, CAMLook. Also, the Art Institute of Chicago has some good videos, and the National Gallery in DC.
The Taft Museum in Cincinnati is working to create videos discussing their Top 10 items in the collection.
Museums can slowly build up and archive content so patrons will always have the opportunity to learn more.
How many times have we all walked into a gallery and spent less than 3 seconds looking at an object we don’t immediately connect with? I’d like to see museums add QR-codes next to the items with video content, so someone who has a smart phone and headphones could watch the video while looking at the object in the gallery. The QR-code would give people an opportunity to learn much more about an object and perhaps find a way to connect to it.
I like when the videos are 5-10 minutes. I really feel like I’ve learned something by the end.
I don’t know if these videos are ultimately valuable to driving profits to the museum. The videos have made me feel connected and engaged with the museums that offer the extra online content.