The Evolving Museum: People and technology create new traditions

Introductory Paragraphs

Writing in the Encyclopedia Britannica nearly 30 years ago, Hugues de Varine-Bohan, former director of the International Council of Museums, maintained that museography, the study of museum techniques, and museology, the study of what a museum is and what its relationship to visitors should be, were facing a dilemma. Very little new was being done, he wrote, perpetuating the notion that museums were stuffy, immovable institutions created by academics, for academics. Put simply, museums were too traditional, out of touch with mainstream culture; they must strive to modernize or face becoming museum pieces themselves.

Varine-Bohan also noted it would be "necessary to make museums extend outside their walls" to reach more people and allow greater parts of their collections to be exhibited. Citing the success of "museobuses," mobile museums then in use in Africa and India, he urged museums to implement technology in a creative, innovative manner.

Ironically, these comments are relevant today because they illustrate a challenge museums continue to face: the future. More precisely, how can museums utilize technology to suit their needs and promote their goals? Also, what role, if any, will everyday citizens play in museum activities?