My fellowship examined the implications of Web 2.0 for museums, primarily museum
exhibits. I’m using the term “Web 2.0” as shorthand to include such trends as podcasts,
blogs, social networking, information sharing, user-generated content, etc. I know there is
some discussion about whether this is really a new tool, or only a popular application of
existing tools. But, for the purposes of the study, and for both brevity and clarity, I will
use the term 2.0.
While I believe that 2.0 can be applied to multiple museum programs, I wanted to focus
on exhibitions for several reasons:
1. Most of my museum experience has been in exhibits and I have a particular
interest, both personal and professional, in these programs;
2. But, more significantly, exhibits, because they are special projects made up of
specially composed teams, tend to involve staff from multiple departments, so
they are an easy way look at an institution in all of its parts; and
3. Finally, exhibitions are another kind of shorthand that allow us to look at a series
of relationships - between museum and object, between audience and object, and
between audience and museum.
The fellowship research is part of a larger study that looks at the transformation – both
the programmatic and institutional transformation – that digital technologies have
instigated in museums. It follows two earlier publications that also examined the role of
media in museum exhibitions. The first was “The Virtual and The Real”, published in
1998, and followed by “The Digital Museum”, published ten years later. In both
Selma Thomas.2009 Fellowship Report. Page
publications I examined the then state-of-the-art media and its impact on the
interpretation of museum collections. With this fellowship, I studied the most recent
phase of media, Web 2.0, and its impact on interpretation.
I began my work on this fellowship in November 2008 and spent approximately six
weeks in residence at the fellowship offices. This proximity to the Smithsonian museums
and libraries allowed me to conduct research with a combination of inter-library loans,
electronic resources and face-to-face meetings; and I made an effort to meet with staff
from multiple departments and from different museums, hoping to collect a
representative set of perspectives.
I used the early part of my fellowship doing both web-based and library research. I
wanted to immerse myself in both the background of Web 2.0 and the discourse
surrounding it, both professional and public discourse. While I had done some of this
work previously, the opportunity to concentrate, afforded by the fellowship; it helped me
formulate the discussions that followed.
To follow up this electronic and library search, I met with Smithsonian staff from
different museums and different departments, including: editors, designers, web
managers, curators, educators, evaluators, new media producers, and several directors. I
wanted to compare the way that different disciplines and professional experiences might
apply Web 2.0; and I was also eager to identify the source of any concerns, or fears, that
people might have towards Web 2.0.
Selma Thomas.2009 Fellowship Report. Page
The Smithsonian museums and libraries provided superb resources and SI staff were
generous with their time and thoughts. I was somewhat familiar with the New Media
efforts at many of the museums, but I was surprised to learn that many other departments
were experimenting with the opportunities afforded by Web 2.0, for some time.
Curators, editors, educators, among others, were happy to describe the programs they had
developed to welcome the input of the public and others.
Before my residency ended, I also contacted practitioners outside the Smithsonian, in
both museums and libraries. The challenges that confront museums are universal, and I
wanted to develop both a broad perspective and an inclusive vocabulary. As I noted
earlier, my brief residency is part of a larger, ambitious study. Nevertheless, it was a
critical beginning and I remain grateful to the Smithsonian’s Women’s Committee and
the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, particularly Nancy Fuller
(Research Program Manager at SCEMS) for their very generous, and collegial, support.
Selma Thomas.2009 Fellowship Report. Page