Museums and Podcasting What are the challenges Lena Maculan Digital Heritage Research Group Departme

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Museums and Podcasting- What are the
challenges?Lena MaculanDigital Heritage
Research Group Department of Museum Studies
mm179_at_le.ac.uk
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Illusion of Access

• Currently we have more digital cultural content
  online, than ever before.

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Illusion of Access

• Currently we have more digital cultural content
  online, than ever before.
• Does that mean culture is more accessible, merely
  because its online?

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Illusion of Access

• Currently we have more digital cultural content
  online, than ever before.
• Does that mean culture is more accessible, merely
  because its online?
• Connectivity is not enough to ensure true
  accessibility.

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Illusion of Access

• Currently we have more digital cultural content
  online, than ever before.
• Does that mean culture is more accessible, merely
  because its online?
• Connectivity is not enough to ensure true
  accessibility.
• To enhance accessibility digital content needs to
  be placed in a critical context, which allows
  users a meaningful engagement with culture.

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Why podcasting?

• How can broadcasting models of communication help
  to create this critical framework?

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Why podcasting?

• How can broadcasting models of communication help
  to create this critical framework?
• How can podcasting help to enhance intellectual
  accessibility of museum collections?

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What is Podcasting?

• Podcasting is the method of distributing
  multimedia files, such as audio programs or music
  videos, over the Internet using either the RSS or
  Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile
  devices and personal computers.
• The term podcast like 'radio', can mean both the
  content and the method of delivery.
• (Wikipedia)

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What is a Podcast?

• Some say its where blogging and radio intersect.
• In terms of method of delivery its like blogging,
  because its based on RSS feeds.

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What is a Podcast?

• Some say its where blogging and radio intersect.
• In terms of method of delivery its like blogging,
  because its based on RSS feeds.
• In terms of content its like radio, because they
  are mainly audio based.

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How does it work?
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Record your programme
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
the user subscribes to the RSS feed
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
the user subscribes to the RSS feed
listen on desktop
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
the user subscribes to the RSS feed
transfer to portable device and listen on the
move
listen on desktop
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
the user subscribes to the RSS feed
transfer to portable device and listen on the
move
listen on desktop
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
the user subscribes to the RSS feed
transfer to portable device and listen on the
move
listen on desktop
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
the user subscribes to the RSS feed
transfer to portable device and listen on the
move
listen on desktop
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Record your programme
send mp4 file to a web server
the user subscribes to the RSS feed
transfer to portable device and listen on the
move
listen on desktop
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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?
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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Hardware

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Hardware

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Hardware

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Hardware

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Hardware

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Software
• Editing software
• e.g. Audacity, GarageBand

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Software
• Editing software
• File transfer software

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Software
• Editing software
• File transfer software
• Software to create RSS feed

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• Software
• Editing software
• File transfer software
• Software to create RSS feed
• Content management software, e.g. iTunes

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• To publish it you need
• Internet connection

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What equipment is needed to produce a podcast?

• To publish it you need
• Internet connection
• Webserver

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• 70 consume podcasts on desktop computers
• (Rumford, Podcasting White Paper June 2005)
• 80 consume podcasts on desktop computers
• (Bridge Ratings, March 2006)

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• Many users are not aware that you can listen to
  podcasts without an iPod.

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• Many users are not aware that you can listen to
  podcasts without an iPod.

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• Can podcasts make museum content more accessible?

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Access

• Publishing archival material that is
  inaccessible
• Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Access

• Publishing archival material that is
  inaccessible
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, Van Gogh Letters
• Publishing lectures and symposia for users who
  can not come to the museum

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Access

• Publishing archival material that is
  inaccessible
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Publishing lectures and symposia for users who
  can not come to the museum
• MoMA New York, Think Modern Lecture series

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Access

• Publishing archival material that is
  inaccessible
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Publishing lectures and symposia for users who
  can not come to the museum
• MoMA New York, Think Modern Lecture series
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians

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Access

• Publishing archival material that is
  inaccessible
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Publishing lectures and symposia for users who
  can not come to the museum
• MoMA New York, Think Modern Lecture series
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians
• Smithsonians Curatorial Conversations

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Access

• Publishing archival material that is
  inaccessible
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Publishing lectures and symposia for users who
  can not come to the museum
• MoMA New York, Think Modern Lecture series
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians
• Smithsonians Curatorial Conversations
• Hirshhorn Museums Lecture Series

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• Can podcasts enhance intellectual accessibility?

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Intellectual accessibility

• Podcasting allows us to present different
  perspectives on the museum, the collection or
  temporary exhibitions.
• E.g. John Rotten commenting on Tradition and
  Transgression in British Fashion.

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Intellectual accessibility

• Podcasting allows us to present different
  perspectives on the museum, the collection or
  temporary exhibitions.
• E.g. John Rotten commenting on Tradition and
  Transgression in British Fashion.
• Podcasting seems to be ideally suited to make
  different programmes for various types of user
  groups.
• E.g. Hirshhorns Artists Lecture, Interview and
  Walkthrough Series

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Hirshhorn Museum

• Artists Lecture Series

• 60 min lecture by art historian Michael Fried

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Hirshhorn Museum

• Artists Lecture Series
• Artists Interview Series

• 60 min lecture by art historian Michael Fried
• Interview curator and artist talk about the
  artists vision and the creative process

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Hirshhorn Museum

• 60 min lecture by art historian Michael Fried
• Interview curator and artist talk about the
  artists vision and the creative process
• The artist leads the visitor through the
  exhibition

• Artists Lecture Series
• Artists Interview Series
• Museum Walkthrough

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MOMA

• Special Exhibitions

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MOMA

• Special Exhibitions
• Modern Voices

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MOMA

• Special Exhibitions
• Modern Voices
• Modern Kids

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MOMA

• Special Exhibitions
• Modern Voices
• Modern Kids
• Visual Descriptions

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MOMA

• Special Exhibitions
• Modern Voices
• Modern Kids
• Visual Descriptions
• Think Modern, Adult and Academic Programmes

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Summing upPodcasts can help the museum to...

• Bring content of archives back to live
• Address specific target groups at a level of
  discourse appropriate for that group
• e.g. children, students, life-long learners,
  academics, etc.
• Enhance the on-site experience
• e.g. audio tours or less didactic approaches of
  interpreting the collection
• Enhance the online experience
• e.g. through the provision of additional content
• lectures, commentaries of critics and artists

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Lena MaculanDigital Heritage Research Group
Department of Museum Studies mm179_at_le.ac.uk
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• Can podcasting foster community involvement?

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Can podcasts foster community involvement?

• VAs CultureCasts
• Visitors responses

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Can podcasts foster community involvement?

• VAs CultureCasts
• Visitors responses
• Vox pops

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Can podcasts foster community involvement?

• VAs CultureCasts
• Visitors responses
• Vox pops
• SFMOMAs ArtCasts
• Building relations with local arts community

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Can podcasts foster community involvement?

• VAs CultureCasts
• Visitors responses
• Vox pops
• SFMOMAs ArtCasts
• Building relations with local arts community
• Vox pops

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Can podcasts foster community involvement?

• VAs CultureCasts
• Visitors responses
• Vox pops
• SFMOMAs ArtCasts
• Building relations with local arts community
• Vox pops
• Children read out their responses to chosen works
  on display