Hastings - Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics 2014

Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics

Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics

2014

Edited by Samantha K. Hastings

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

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978-1-4422-5011-6 (cloth)

978-1-4422-5012-3 (electronic)

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ARCHI Editorial Board

Jennifer Arns, PhD

Associate Professor

School of Library and Information Science

University of South Carolina

Davis 202

Columbia, SC 29208

David Carr, PhD

Conversations in Cultural Institutions

980 Lost Forest Drive NW

Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Mary W. Elings

Archivist for Digital Collections

The Bancroft Library

University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000

Jana Hill, MLIS

Collection Information and Imaging Manager

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

3501 Camp Bowie Boulevard

Fort Worth, TX 76107

www.cartermuseum.org

Elise Lewis, PhD

Assistant Professor

School of Library and Information Science

University of South Carolina

Davis 212

Columbia, SC 29208

Paul F. Marty, PhD

Associate Professor

School of Library and Information Studies

142 Collegiate Loop

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL 32306

Karen Miller, MLIS, JD

PhD Candidate

School of Library and Information Science

University of South Carolina

Davis 212

Columbia, SC 29208

Jane Przybysz, PhD

Executive Director

McKissick Museum

College of Arts and Sciences

816 Bull Street

Columbia, SC 29208

Abebe Rorissa, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Information Studies

College of Computing and Information

University at Albany, State University of New York

Draper Hall, Room 116

135 Western Avenue

Albany, NY 12222

Colin F. Wilder, PhD

Associate Director

Center for Digital Humanities

Thomas Cooper Library

University of South Carolina

Columbia, SC 29208

Greg Wilsbacher, PhD

Curator, Newsfilm Collections

Moving Image Research Collections

University of South Carolina

Columbia, SC 29208

I

BEST PRACTICES

Perspectives on Museum Informatics

Curatorial Voice Reimagined through Gatekeeper Theory; Museum as Place Reenvisioned through Nonakas SECI ba

Laura-Edythe S. Coleman

Abstract

The emerging field of museum informatics is more than just an interdisciplinary dialogue with information professionals. The shift of museum missionsfrom object-oriented to story-oriented approaches, from expert-curated to community-curated exhibits, and from object preservation to promotion of social agendasdemands the skills of information professionals. Recognizing the changing role of museums from information preservation to information provision, information scientists are challenged to study the unique information needs of museum professionals and museum audiences. This chapter attempts to answer that challenge by applying vetted theories from the field of information science to the realm of museums and reimagining two concepts central to museology through the lenses of information science. First, the ubiquitous curatorial voice of a museum exhibit is recast as a gatekeeper, granting the researcher the ability to apply principles of gatekeeper theory to this often invisible but always audible voice within an exhibit. Second, the pervasive quandary of museum as place , or space, is reenvisioned through Nonakas SECI model as ba , the shared context for knowledge creation (Nonaka, Toyama, & Konno, 2000, p. 5). Information science research into curatorial voice and museum as place may shed light on these widely accepted and barely understood phenomena, discerning pathways for museums to facilitate their role in society, even as that role shifts.

Introduction

At first glance, the emerging field of museum informatics appears to be little more than an effort to bring together information professionals and museum professionals for the purpose of interdisciplinary dialogue. Yet museum informatics is more than an interdisciplinary dialogue. Museum informatics represents the presence of information science in a museum environment. Paul Marty (2009) defines museum informatics as the study of the sociotechnical interactions that take place at the intersection of people, information, and technology in museums (p. 3). The importance of museum informatics cannot be underestimated as museum missions shift from object-oriented to story-oriented approaches, from expert-curated to community-curated exhibits, and from object preservation to promotion of social agendas (Chen, 2007). These shifts demand both the skills of information professionals and the recognition of the changing role of museums from information preservation to information provision. Marty speaks to this shift: Information professionals are not the only ones aware of the growing convergence of cultural heritage organizations in the information age. As users rely increasingly on online information, they will likely expect to find similar types of resources offered by different institutions (Marty, 2007, p. 104). Pressures from within and without the museum necessitate a call to arms for information scientists to study the unique information needs of museum professionals and museum audiences (p. 105). This chapter attempts to answer that call, applying vetted theories from the field of information science to the realm of museums.

In this chapter, two concepts central to museology are reimagined through the lenses of information science. First, the ubiquitous curatorial voice of a museum exhibit is recast as a gatekeeper, granting the researcher the ability to apply principles of gatekeeper theory to this often invisible but always audible voice within an exhibit. Second, the pervasive quandary of museum as place , or space, is reenvisioned through Nonakas SECI model as ba , the shared context for knowledge creation (Nonaka, Toyama, & Konno, 2000, p. 5). Information science research into curatorial voice and museum as place may shed light on these widely accepted and barely understood phenomena.

Curatorial Voice

The question arises: What is curatorial voice ? Peter Walsh (1997) describes curatorial voice as the Unassailable Voice: an essential part of the museum experience. It is an institutional tone and attitude that pervades museum labels, brochures, exhibitions, catalogues, audio-visual presentations, and now Web sites (Walsh, 1997). For the museum visitor, curatorial voice is interwoven into the museum experience, providing organization, authority, and authenticity to the gestalt (Falk & Dierking, 1992). To the museum visitor, Walsh likened the sound of curatorial voice to the mythical disembodied voice of the Wizard of Oz (Walsh, 1997). How can research investigate curatorial voice? Perhaps the taxonomic model of gatekeeper may reveal a more tangible force or embodiment for curatorial voice.