Digital Technologies and the Museum Experience: Handheld Guides and Other Media

by Loic Tallon, Jonathan Bowen, James Bradburne, Alexandra Burch, Lynn Dierking, John Falk, Silvia Filippini Fantoni, Ben Gammon, Ellen Giusti, Halina Gottlieb, Sherry Hsi, Peter Lonsdale, Julia Meek, Ross Parry, Paul Rudman, Peter Samis, Mike Sharples, Jeffery K. Smith, Pablo P.L. Tinio, Giasemi Vavoula, Kevin Walker

Overview

The biggest trend in museum exhibit design today is the creative incorporation of technology. Digital Technologies and the Museum Experience: Handheld Guides and Other Media explores the potential of mobile technologies (cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs) for visitor interaction and learning in museums, drawing on established practice to identify guidelines for future implementations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759111219
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	08/28/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Loïc Tallon has worked as an independent researcher and as a project manager and new media consultant with Cultural Innovations, a leading international museum consultancy. Kevin Walker has worked in and with museums since 1996, including five years as senior software designer for exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Introduction: Mobile, Digital, and Personal Part 3 Part I. Defining the Context: Three Perspectives Chapter 4 Chapter 1. The Exploded Museum Chapter 5 Chapter 2. Learning with Digital Technologies Chapter 6 Chapter 3. Designing Mobile Digital Experiences Part 7 Part II. Delivering Potential Chapter 8 Chapter 4. Audibly Engaged: Talking the Walk Chapter 9 Chapter 5. Mobile Multimedia: Reflections from Ten Years of Practice Chapter 10 Chapter 6. Improving Visitor Access Chapter 11 Chapter 7. Structuring Visitor Participation Chapter 12 Chapter 8. Designing for Mobile Visitor Engagement Chapter 13 Chapter 9. Cross-Context Learning Chapter 14 Chapter 10. Interactive Adventures Chapter 15 Chapter 11. Afterword: The Future in our Hands? Putting Potential into Practice

Editorial Reviews

It explores in a most enlightening way how mobile devices and digital technology as such may be used to enhance and transform the visitor's experience of the museum.

Mediekultur: Journal Of Media and Communication Research

It explores in a most enlightening way how mobile devices and digital technology as such may be used to enhance and transform the visitor's experience of the museum.

Mediekultur: Journal Of Media and Communication Research

This book makes an important and timely contribution to the field of museum studies. For museum practitioners, it provides a useful reference work on the application of digital interpretive technologies. Along with practical and technical information, there is much to stimulate thought about how such technologies encourage and empower the user. The book wisely ends on a cautionary note: to be successful in the longer term 'new museum media always need to harmonize with existing practice.'

Margaret Greeves

Well written, thought-provoking, and informative...an indispensable resource for museum professionals. Essential.

CHOICE, April 2009 - J. M. Youmans

This volume highlights the exciting potential for handheld devices and digital technologies in museums and related settings. It provides a valuable, in-depth guide to an important set of research projects that have important implications for educators, exhibit designers, museum curators, and others. This book greatly expanded my horizons. I found it compelling and highly readable.

Educational Technology, July-August 2009 - Hillary McLean

Rather than pushing technology for technology’s sake, this book presents an intelligent and well-considered discussion of the ways technology can transform the museum experience. Editors Tallon and Walker have created a much needed overview of important research and writing from an internationally-acclaimed group of scholars, museum professionals, and learning specialists. This compendium provides a framework for understanding how digital technologies - from audioguides to multi-media tours and web-based applications – can enhance and expand the impact of a museum visit. An indispensable resource for both the museum professional and student.

Kathryn Potts