Informational Value of Museum Web Sites

2006

J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci.

This paper presents results from twenty-one semi-structured interviews with museum information professionals (MIPs) who were asked about their experiences working with information resources, tools, and technologies. Interviews were analyzed to determine 1) the challenges MIPs face as they adapt to changing technical capabilities and strive to meet the changing needs and expectations of museum users; and 2) the coping mechanisms MIPs employ on the job that enable them to deal effectively with those challenges. The paper presents the results of this analysis, exploring how MIPs cope with the changing nature of information work in museums by relying on thirteen different strategies, including assessing new technologies in relation to the museum's core mission, helping museum professionals embrace new ideas about information access and provision, and promoting internal practices that encourage the sharing of information and the integration of information science into museum work. The paper discusses the implications of these challenges and strategies for current and future MIPs, and assesses their impact on changing perceptions, roles, and research for information professionals in museums as they work to meet the information needs of all museum users. KeywordsMuseum informatics; museum information professionals; information work in museums.

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The changing nature of information work in museums

2006

J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci.

“…These studies include surveys of online museum visitors (Chadwick & Boverie, 1999;Sarraf, 1999;Thomas & Carey, 2005), visitor motivation studies (Falk, 2006;Haley Goldman & Schaller, 2004), and analyses of the use of digital information resources by museum visitors (Kravchyna & Hastings, 2002;Ockuly, 2003). Different users have different information needs, and it is important to evaluate how visitors conceptualize and use information resources in museums (Cameron, 2003;Coburn & Baca, 2004), and to use this knowledge to explore changing expectations for online museums engaged in outreach to different audiences (Hamma, 2004a;Müller, 2002;Zorich, 1997).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the skills for tomorrow: Information literacy and museum information professionals

Museum Management and Curatorship

2006

This paper presents results from twenty-one semi-structured interviews with museum information professionals who were asked about their experiences working with information resources, tools, and technologies in museums. The interviews were analyzed to develop an understanding of the information literacy skills of museum information professionals. This paper presents the results of this analysis, and discusses the state of information literacy in museums and the increasing need for museum information professionals to possess information literacy skills. The results illustrate how information literacy is defined by information professionals in museums, and how perceptions of information literacy and its importance to museums have changed over time. KeywordsMuseum informatics; museum information professionals; information literacy in museums.

“…Access to digital images of museum artifacts has prompted concerns about copyright issues and control over intellectual property (Gladney, Mintzer, & Schiattarella, 1997;Zorich, 2000), and explorations of new economic and technical models for providing access to digital cultural heritage (Bearman, 1997;Sherwood, 1997). Museum professionals need skills with user-centered evaluations to determine the information needs of museum visitors (Booth, 1998;Kravchyna & Hastings, 2002;Thomas & Carey, 2005), and how successful they are at meeting those needs (Cunliffe, Kritou, & Tudhope, 2002;Harms & Schweibenz, 2001;Hertzum, 1998;Peacock, 2002;Streten, 2000). As their tasks become more complex, museum professionals may collaborate to achieve their goals and objectives, and a number of studies have explored the challenges of building and maintaining museum consortia (Allen, 2000;Martin, Rieger, & Gay, 1999;Rinehart, 2001;Sayre & Wetterlund, 2003;Trant, Bearman, & Richmond, 2000).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Museum professionals and the relevance of LIS expertise

Library & Information Science Research

2007

This article presents results from a survey designed to assess the relevance of library and information science (LIS) expertise-here defined as those topics typically, but not exclusively, taught in LIS programs-for museum professionals. The topics covered in this article are information representation, information organization and access, information management, computer technologies, digitization technologies, interactive technologies, information policy, evaluation methods, and collaboration initiatives. An online survey assessed the degree to which museum professionals possess skills in these topics, perform work in these topics, and consider these topics important for future study. The article examines the relative value of each topic for museum professionals, and discusses the importance of strengthening relationships between LIS and museum studies by better understanding the relevance of LIS expertise in museums. KeywordsMuseum informatics; museum information professionals; library and information science education.