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Are museums doing enough to prevent digital exclusion?
Museums Association
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Nick Poole, chief executive officer, Collections Trust

“There’s a strong correlation between digital and social exclusion. As with broader issues of social and economic inequality, museums can’t solve the whole problem but we can play a major part in improving people’s options.

The barriers to digital participation include access, motivation, skills and confidence. Museums already create great online experiences, which can motivate people to get connected. A good next step would be to do more onsite in venues to help people use mobile and social technologies to interact with our collections and the stories behind them.”

Ross Parry, senior lecturer, University of Leicester

“We can always do more to prevent any sort of exclusion,  and that includes digital exclusion. Exclusivity can take many forms, whether it is the digital divide in our society or the asymmetries in skills and resource in the sector itself.

Today, museums and galleries know that providing something exclusively digital disenfranchises those who are not able to access that content, whether through opportunity or ability.

Digital content, when designed without accessibility for everyone in mind, is essentially redundant and has no place in our sector.”

Mark Macleod, head, The Infirmary, University of Worcester

“‘What about audiences, how can they engage?’ is a question regularly asked at audience development meetings.

Museums hold analogue collections in a growing digital world and bridging the divide requires innovative thinking if we want to serve Everett Rogers’ ‘early adopters’ and ‘laggards’.

Benefits of change must outweigh costs or we are not using resources responsibly and each institution has to know its audience to gauge capacity for change. Our university audience has more appetite to experiment because of high levels of digital literacy, but we still have to ask the question.”

Mia Ridge, chair, Museums Computer Group

“Unless museums consider digital inclusion at the start of each project, they may be accidentally contributing to digital exclusion.

Museums that wouldn’t turn away people on lower incomes at their door are, in effect, doing so when they produce content and experiences that are available only on the latest browsers, smartphones or tablets.

The sector should find some room (and resources) for experimenting with new technologies, but open platforms and responsive websites beat proprietary app stores when the goal is to reach the widest possible public.”



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