Open Forum

Abstract  

In the wake of the 2020's global pandemic, known as COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus, there has been a shift toward remote work and increased online presence for almost every industry. Museums, known for their unmatchable experiences with physical objects, are uniquely challenged by these changes. While the world attempts to find a new normal, small and medium-sized museums, reliant heavily upon onsite visitorship, gift shop purchases, and exhibition ticket sales have had to restructure their budgets and put increased focus on digitization and online presence. While many museums have been reluctant to take on massive digitization projects and creating online content and exhibitions, the pandemic has forced many institutions to reflect on the value of these tools. This research also sheds light on the current challenges related to the new protocols and based on government mandates and stay at home-orders as well as economic challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The anecdotal responses of six museums and three consultation organizations used for this research provide a functional range of responses regarding the building of online content. This research creates a framework based on the challenges and opportunities small and midsize museums are facing accompanied by recommendations for the future as the pandemic rages on.  

Keywords: digital curation, online exhibition, digitization, coronavirus, COVID-19, social distancing, pivoting, social media 

Abstract  

In the wake of the 2020's global pandemic, known as COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus, there has been a shift toward remote work and increased online presence for almost every industry. Museums, known for their unmatchable experiences with physical objects, are uniquely challenged by these changes. While the world attempts to find a new normal, small and medium-sized museums, reliant heavily upon onsite visitorship, gift shop purchases, and exhibition ticket sales have had to restructure their budgets and put increased focus on digitization and online presence. While many museums have been reluctant to take on massive digitization projects and creating online content and exhibitions, the pandemic has forced many institutions to reflect on the value of these tools. This research also sheds light on the current challenges related to the new protocols and based on government mandates and stay at home-orders as well as economic challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The anecdotal responses of six museums and three consultation organizations used for this research provide a functional range of responses regarding the building of online content. This research creates a framework based on the challenges and opportunities small and midsize museums are facing accompanied by recommendations for the future as the pandemic rages on.  

Keywords: digital curation, online exhibition, digitization, coronavirus, COVID-19, social distancing, pivoting, social media