So many museums have now websites and collections online, that starting a discussion about the use of IT and the advantages it may bring to the promotion of culture, could be labelled as outdated, petty rethoric.
However it looks like the cultural sector’s main interest in IT is on the digitisation of historical assets and their online availability, more for a need of internal organisation, better preservation and a hope of attracting larger audiences, than anything else.
Needless to say, IT can do much, much more and do it better.
For example, why not using technology to communicate, rather than just present, your collections online?
Would technology enable to create a closer relationship between cultural organisations and the general public?
Who would benefit from this two-way process?
Both would.
This was the general conclusion that other fellow geeks and I came out with on a Friday afternoon, admittedly after a few beers. We know that there are initiatives and projects out there which are dealing with these issues and maybe it’s time to dig them out and contribute to the discussion.
So we decided to start a local group which will bring together geeks, museums and other cultural organsations devoted to the preservation and communication of our heritage…put down the glasses and off we go!
