Case Study - the Journey
The three museum partners in the original RETOLD project were test cases in a 4-year process. Together with the other three RETOLD partners, they have all come a long way. Here we present you parts of our journey, from a museum perspective. No matter how digital (or not) they are, the stories the museums bring to their public are in focus, as well as their staff and volunteers. Here you will find their challenges and outcomes.
Status Quo
How Digital are Open-Air Museums?
Open-air museums are vast repositories of cultural heritage data, most of which are currently located in physical archival records, photos, video, and – not least - in the minds of museum staff and volunteers. There is a real risk that without a robust process for capturing and storing this data, it will be lost forever.
The Process
A typical museum
Museum curators usually do not have all relevant computer or digital skills to achieve the digital outcomes required, so they rely partly on other specialists. Our aim is to ensure that museums have the basic skills, partly to estimate what is realistic and what not. The challenge is to save and document information, especially information relating to practical work techniques and craft skills, in a sustainable way for future museum generations.
RETOLD system
Prototypes and challenges
It was an eye opener to see the first prototype and what it could do for any museum. With second prototype, the forms were evaluated in great detail, so inclusion into the app would be easier. At the same time, all options about CIDOC and the future use of the app were discussed again. One of the issues which came up as well, was the language of the interface and the language of the information a museum would submit.
The outcome
A collection with crafts, crafters and buildings
With that knowledge we gained in the process, there was a system created, which can serve for further development of minimum viable product (MVP). The structure and all the requirements are there. With the forms in place we started to collect the information from the RETOLD partners.