Literacy competency

Nowadays, the Internet has become an essential tool for study, work and leisure. As a result, many organisations use and build websites to promote their products or services. Museums are among these organisations. The relationship between new technologies and museums began with the aim of managing museum collections and recording exhibits. This relationship, however, evolved and their use was extended to multimedia stations and applications for presentations and interpretations in exhibitions, while the advent of the Internet allowed the construction of websites and various applications (Economou, 2003, 121).

The benefits of a website are many and varied. According to Schweibenz's research published in an article entitled, "The "Virtual Museum": New Perspectives For Museums to Present Objects and Information Using the Internet as a Knowledge Base and Communication System", the benefits of using the Internet are: a) the potential of global publicity, b) museum’s communication with the public and its partners, c) virtual exhibitions, d) access to the institution’s collections, e) the potential of researchers’ remote access of online databases. What has been mentioned so far are not only benefits, but also factors in order to create a website. But to what extent is this practice followed in Greece?

During the implementation of the Museum Tracker website on our website, the Internet search of Greek museums was frequent. […] Based on this search, we reached the following conclusions: a) a great lack of museum websites in the countryside, b) careless design of several websites, c) Attica and Thessaloniki museums use the Internet more to achieve their goals, something that is evident in the large number of websites, d) difficulty in finding photographs for free use, especially in the case of countryside museums, without this being the rule.

The causes of these factors are described as follows: a) financial reasons, b) mismanagement of the organization, c) lack of knowledge of Internet use. The latter is quite common in the countryside where computer use is lower and digital illiteracy is higher. Regarding the second and the first factors, we can see a connection between them. The mismanagement of an institution can be related to the lack of knowledge or love for the museum by the people who constitute it or a complete lack of personnel due to financial problems. In the museums of the countryside, it is not uncommon to meet people from the area, e.g. neighbours, to open and close the museum due to lack of personnel. However, financial difficulties are not only related to personnel, but also to the inability to create and maintain a website. What can be done in this case?

Having a website for every museum is essential. In a world where technology is growing rapidly and is becoming almost essential to man for daily life, work, education, entertainment, it is unthinkable not to have access to a museum via the Internet. When there is a will, solutions to this issue are simple. Creating a website can be very simple and almost cost-effective, using various sites that specialize in it, such as Webnode, Simplesite, Google and others. The management of a website can now be done quite easily, as long as you search the area you are at. Either an adult or a teenager (yes, a teenager!) can help manage the website by taking it on or teaching someone else - it could be the museum manager – how to use it. Therefore, nothing is difficult as long as there is a will! As for the availability of more photos for free use, it is up to the choice of each institution and whether it wants its doors to be "open" to the public. May we see more good practices in the future!

References:

Schweibenz,W., 1991. "The "Virtual Museum": New Perspectives For Museums to Present Objects and Information Using the Internet as a Knowledge Base and Communication System". In H. Zimmermann, & H. Schramm (Eds.), Knowledge Management und Kommunikationssysteme, Workflow Management, Multimedia, Knowledge Transfer. Proceedings of the 6th ISI Conference, Prague, November 1998 (pp. 185-200)
Economou, M., 2003. Museum: Warehouse or Living Organization? Museological Concerns and Issues, Critique, Athens.

 

1. After reading the text, circle whether the following sentences are True (F) or False (F).

a.       The Internet is practically used by very few people to promote their products and services.  T     F

b.       Creating a website is essential for every museum.  T       F

c.       One of the difficulties in creating a website is the increased cost.   T       F

d.       The free circulation of photos is a problem that is especially evident in the countryside.  T       F

e.       Financial reasons and the lack of knowledge of Internet use are interdependent factors in the inability to create a website.  T       F

2. Find and write a sentence of the text that has the following meaning:

a.       They are advantages and conditions of creating a website. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

b.       The economic factor is related to the lack of staff and the cost of the website. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

c.       Managing a website does not entail particular difficulties. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. According to the article, what are the benefits of using the Internet for museums? Describe them in your own words.

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4. Find synonyms for the following words

a.       Nowadays ---------------------------------------------------------

b.       Allowed -------------------------------------------------------

c.       Partners ---------------------------------------------------------

d.       Difficulties -------------------------------------------------------

e.       Essential -------------------------------------------------------

5. Find antonyms for the following words:

a.       Potential -------------------------------------------------------

b.       Frequent -------------------------------------------------------

c.       Connection -------------------------------------------------------

d.       Lack -------------------------------------------------------

e.       Help ---------------------------------------------------------

6. What are the main conclusions of the authors about the Greek museums’ presence on the Internet?

a.       Museums in the countryside have a smaller Internet presence.

b.       Most museums are carelessly designed.

c.       Finding free photos for museum websites is not easy.

d.       All of the above

e.       a and c

f.        a and b

g.       b and c

7. The text describes the causes of the museums’ decreased online presence and proposes solutions to address them. Connect each cause to its solution, describing them in your own words.

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8. Which of the problems you described above do you find most difficult to solve? Justify your choice briefly.

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Source:

https://www.mouseiologia-museology.gr/l/moyseia-kai-diadiktyo-to-elliniko-paradeigma/