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Network
Member Newsletter of the Museum Education Roundtable
Fall 2006
Reports and Reflections: Museums and the Web
by Cynthia R. Copeland, Director, The American Revolution New Media Project, The New-York Historical Society
The tenth annual international Museums and the Web Conference was held in Spring, 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Approximately one thousand museum professionals, affiliates and source providers were in attendance, representing countries from nearly every continent. There was great enthusiasm and excitement as participants enjoyed half-day pre-conference tours and workshops, sessions of peer-reviewed paper presentations, museum project Web site and new media presentations and demonstrations, topic-related discussion groups, open usability labs and more. It was a ten-year retrospective and opportunity for museum colleagues to assemble and share their experiences, knowledge and expertise regarding technology integration. Issues concerning funding, rights and reproduction, collaborative projects, challenges of digitization, podcasts, and other innovative projects and approaches of advancing new media in museums, heritage and cultural institutions for the purpose of making collections accessible to the broadest possible public and advancing new media technologies into their organizations were on the agenda.
There were a number of highlights from the Conference, however the most exciting aspects tend to be the half-day museum project demonstrations and the "white-knuckle" awards ceremony announcing the "Best of the Web" in multiple categories including Educational Use, On-line Exhibition, Innovative or Experimental Application, E-Services or E-Commerce, Research, Small, and Overall Museum Site. An open call for nominations is announced at the end of the previous year and sites that are submitted go through a rigorous process and multiple rounds of review by a group of international peer-reviewers. Web sites are judged based on a number of criteria including content, functionality, interface, visual design and usability, interactivity and overall experience. There is one winner per category and this year's winner in the Educational Use Category was "Life of a Rock Star." "Life of a Rock Star" uses the metaphor of a rock band on tour to explore the stories and science behind Canada's first geological survey team, created in the mid- in the nineteenth century to explore and document the country's rich natural resources. "Life of a Rock Star" is a clever demonstration of how to animate learning by bringing brilliance and humor to what is sometimes viewed as a dull subject. The site was nominated by: Geneviève Allard, Library and Archives Canada, and designed by an in-house team: Chris Kitzan, Project manager and Roxane Lafrenière, site designer. To access the site, go to http://collectionscanada.ca/rock/index2-e.html.
If you missed this year's program, you can experience some of its elements virtually. Sample selected papers from the Conference Proceedings online by going to http://www.archimuse.com/mw2006/speakers/index.html. Or visit some of the other award winning sites through this link http://www.archimuse.com/mw2006/best/index.html. You can also purchase a copy of the Conference Proceedings from this or earlier years by going to the Archives and Museum Informatics Web page, http://www.archimuse.com/index.html.
Next year's Museums and the Web Conference will be held in San Francisco, CA, from April 11-17. Demonstration proposals will be accepted through December 31, 2006. Don't miss the chance to gain the best well-rounded professional development in museums and technology. Plan to attend and find out more now! For more information about MW2007, go to http://www.archimuse.com/mw2007/index.html.
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