News

Museums 'incubators' for new technology

June 29, 2003

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- From the animated text that flows from the fountain in the Hall of Ideas in the new Mary Baker Eddy Library to the digital audio guides that are offered on Boston's Freedom Trail, technology is playing an increasingly important role in museums, tourist destinations and public spaces.

"Museums have to be attuned to technology. They can't afford to be musty," said Howard Litwak, an independent museum planner and exhibit developer in Seattle. "With competition like theme parks and video games, museums have to deliver whiz-bang attention grabbers to cut through the clutter."

For many museums, pushing technology is the way they make their exhibits memorable, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Portland Museum of Art in Maine is using the technology in an interactive kiosk that allows visitors to explore the neighboring historic McLellan House, which was meticulously restored by the museum, the article said.

On the kiosk, spheres allow the user to pan left or right, up or down to view any part of the room. Clicking on hot spots in the picture can show a video describing part of the restoration or a photograph with detail about a particular feature of the room, according to the article.

The museum regards the rooms themselves as works of art and has taken pains to familiarize visitors with the details of their restoration.

Although such large-scale techno exhibits are impressive, the most promising technology platform for museums may be the lowly personal digital assistant, according to exhibit planner Litwak.

"Museums always know a lot more about their content than they can present in a text block on the wall," he said. "PDAs give users the option to read or listen to as much content as they want as they tour the museum."