Museum informatics
[7][8] The Museum Computer Network (MCN) in the United States holds an annual conference and runs the MCN-L electronic mailing list.
[17] The changes have resulted in new levels of information sharing, accessing and new forms of interactions between museum professionals and visitors.
[19] The extensive information that museum professionals possess about the objects is of equal importance compare to the artifacts themselves.
[19] These museum professionals also need to record specific data about each object such as nomenclature classifications, physical dimensions, material analyses, designations, artifact histories, scholarly remarks, research notes, etc.
[19] There were many attempts to create data content, structure, and value standards for documenting and describing museum artifacts.
[21] For example, cultural heritage institutions, frequently classify collections of manmade objects using a nomenclature system developed in 1978 by Robert G. Chenhall, which were later revised and expanded by James Blackaby et al.[22] Today, thanks to the modern organization systems, Museum professionals are now able to search and sort digital records about their collections using almost any database field.
[19] Nowadays, as the use of the Internet became more widespread than before, museum professionals found more ways to share data about the collections.
[19] New technologies and online museums mean easier access and wider use of information resources that may previously have been more firmly controlled by the governing institution.
[19] In order to protect their intellectual property, some institutions restrict access to certain types of data or make the content they control difficult to reproduce.
[19] Museum professionals use new information technologies to develop innovative ways of reaching their visitors, online and in-door.
[19] Inside the museum, interactions encourage visitors to explore topics in greater depth and at their own pace.
[19] Online, virtual museums allow visitors to plan gallery tours, research artifact collections, and learn from interactive educational exhibits.
[19] For example, Douma and Henchman (2000) present an online exhibit that allows visitors to digitally remove layers of a painting, examining earlier versions using simulated infrared or x-ray lenses.
[27] New technologies have also offered the museum professionals ways to bring information about their collections directly to their audiences, to make their records available online to the general public.
[19] It is now common for museums to offer handheld devices to their gallery visitors, such as audio guides and hand-drawn maps.
[28] As handheld computers become less expensive, museum professionals continue to experiment with the capabilities of these devices, offering their visitors detailed text and digital images in addition to audio tracks.
[19] When handheld computers have become less expensive, museum professionals continue to experiment with the capabilities of these devices, offering their visitors' detailed text and digital images in addition to audio tracks.
[19] Museums need individuals on staff who can guide them through the hazards of planning digitization projects, purchasing collections information systems, or joining online data-sharing initiatives.
