Digital interpretation tools for heritage

Abstract

We are living in an age when technology is taken for granted in practically every aspect of our daily lives. Digital tools have changed the way we use memory, the way we communicate and interact with each other, how we look for and retrieve information, how we consume and purchase products and services, and the way we choose to entertain ourselves. The cultural sector is no exception as the digital age has also had a profound effect on this sector. Technology implementation in museums requires a multidisciplinary approach, where experts in different fields need to cooperate and work together for the end result to be effective and meaningful. Effective implementation of digital tools in museums is much more than knowing the hardware specifications. The content design and the way in which digital tools are used, both require a thorough understanding of museum audiences and their expectations. Bringing the various sides together to achieve a better understanding of the technology and digital tools available together with the changing realities being faced by museums today, is the main drive behind my research. My research aims to highlight the need for a multidisciplinary approach where all the different experts involved in a museum need to work together. Throughout my research I have visited as many museums and heritage interpretation buildings as possible, both locally as well as abroad, in a bid to obtain firsthand information as to how technology is being used, if at all. In the literature review section of the research I have primarily looked at the different technology and tools available to and used by museums. I am aware that technology itself changes rapidly so although my research mentions the currently available technology, I have focused more on the rationale behind this technology and how it should be used, to ensure that my research remains relevant even after the current technological hardware changes. The final part of my research focuses on the upgrading of a real museum exhibit – the Albrecht Dürer collection at the Mdina Cathedral Museum in Malta. This project aims to bring together all my research into the implementation of a museum hall redesign, using a multidisciplinary team approach with a better understanding of the digital tools available for maximizing the effectiveness of a visitor’s visit to the museum.