Do the results of the Nesta/Arts Council England Digital Culture 2017 survey represent a true picture of the digital stuff going in museums? Members of the Museums Computer Group (MCG) have been picking over the meaning of all the stats, samples and conclusions. Why does it appear that museums are doing less digital? Is it money? Is it because they are doing more of less but better? Are a few digitally enabled small museums distorting the picture?
Nesta identified a decline of 1.3% over five years in the range of digital activities engaged in by museums as “significant”. But what about digital engagement by and about museums that may not be represented here? This could include the communities of supporters and professional networks that are thriving through the opportunities provided by digital communication.
How does user-generated content deriving indirectly from our museums fit in – a world of digital content creation and engagement of which the museum participants themselves may not be aware. Examples include Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata.
And then there’s the alleged distortion from small museums. Some 45% of respondents had a turnover of less than £100,000. That’s 90 respondents representing more than 1,300 Accredited museums in England. There are also those who call themselves museums and do stuff digitally but would be undetected by this survey. Some may never even have heard of Nesta, the Digital Culture survey or the MCG.
Tehmina Goskar is a change maker at Cornwall Museums Partnership and the Royal Institution of Cornwall
Nesta identified a decline of 1.3% over five years in the range of digital activities engaged in by museums as “significant”. But what about digital engagement by and about museums that may not be represented here? This could include the communities of supporters and professional networks that are thriving through the opportunities provided by digital communication.
How does user-generated content deriving indirectly from our museums fit in – a world of digital content creation and engagement of which the museum participants themselves may not be aware. Examples include Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata.
And then there’s the alleged distortion from small museums. Some 45% of respondents had a turnover of less than £100,000. That’s 90 respondents representing more than 1,300 Accredited museums in England. There are also those who call themselves museums and do stuff digitally but would be undetected by this survey. Some may never even have heard of Nesta, the Digital Culture survey or the MCG.
Tehmina Goskar is a change maker at Cornwall Museums Partnership and the Royal Institution of Cornwall
