October 18, 2002

               NINCH & Museums: Better Serving the Community

                             Report Available With

                    MCN Keynote Address by Stanley N. Katz:

                    "What Do We Want from the Cybermuseum?"

                    http://www.ninch.org/forum/museums.html

As part of a review of the role it plays within its different constituencies, NINCH is organizing a series of small "think-tank" meetings within these sectors. The first, designed for museums, was hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, on July 23.

In his keynote address to this year's Museum Computer Network (MCN) conference (Toronto, September 5), "What Do We Want from the Cybermuseum?" NINCH past-president, Stanley Katz, frequently referred to the rich conversation recorded in the report of the NINCH meeting as a key articulation of current concerns in museums on the development of digital technology. Because the paper generated broader interest in the meeting report than we had anticipated, we have decided to make it more widely available. All participants have agreed to its release on the understanding that they speak only for themselves and not for their employers.

Some of the key themes of the conversation (and of Stan's paper) included rethinking institutional infrastructure, especially for coordinating and integrating digital production; new staffing models; the potential of broadband for furthering museum education and outreach; the role of technology in connecting museums with the communities of the future; the relationship between digital presence and the number of visitors to the physical museum; as well as the developing role of NINCH vis-a-vis its museum members.

The report and paper are available online at the above url and as pdf documents.

DISCUSSION LIST

Should there be interest in furthering the discussion represented in the report and paper, we are setting up a discussion list. Contact David Green <mailto:[log in to unmask]> to be added to the list.

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