ICOM UK’s Post

This week we'll spotlight an article that created a resource museum educators/facilitators could use in assessing the impact of their work: 'Assessing well-being outcomes for arts and heritage activities: Development of a Museum Well-being Measures toolkit' by Linda Thomson and Helen Chatterjee #museums #heritage #HeritageInHealth #wellbeing #toolkit #assessment #measure #dementia #OlderAdults #ArtBasedResearch #AppliedArtsAndHealth #art #research https://lnkd.in/g2NANfMi Abstract Many museums and galleries offer services directed at improving the health and well-being of their audiences. Despite this increasing area of activity there is no standardized method for assessing the impact on participants. Recent research into heritage-in-health revealed the need for a culture-specific toolkit of measures to assess the well-being of adults participating in museum, arts and heritage activities. A pre-trial survey of UK specialist museums ascertained how a toolkit might be used and what methods of evaluation already existed. Prototypes were trialled over twelve months and a post-trial survey was conducted prior to production of the toolkit. Statistically reliable measures were constructed for positive and negative emotion. Comparison of pretest-posttest differences showed highly significant increases in positive scores and decreases in negative scores with medium to large effect sizes. All words in the measures contributed to changes in emotion. Full and short Generic Well-being Questionnaires (GWQ) were developed for people with dementia.

The advent of online technologies has changed the way museums manage collections, shape exhibitions, and build communities. This double Special Issue, co-edited by Karin de Wild (Leiden University) and Nadezhda Povroznik (HDSM, Technische Universität Darmstadt), provides new perspectives on the histories of museums online. It features papers on a wide range of topics, including the history of virtual museums and online exhibitions, museums’ responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, digital openness, and the development of museums’ digital identities. This Special Issue is published in the journal 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝐻𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠: 𝐷𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑇𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦, 𝐶𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦, an international journal dedicated to research on the histories of the internet and related digital cultures. 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐛: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 ➡https://lnkd.in/ekJ8R9cC 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥: 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐛 ➡ https://lnkd.in/eQTqrG8y

Exciting Publication Alert! 📢 I'm thrilled to announce that our latest work, "Multisensory Museum Experience: An Integrative View and Future Research Directions," has been published in the esteemed journal Museum Management and Curatorship. 💡 This paper is available in #OpenAccess. Our work lays the groundwork for nuanced future research endeavours in the fields of #MultisensoryExperience, #VisitorEngagement, and #ExhibitionDesign, particularly within the museum and aesthetic contexts. 💡 Main takeaways of this paper: ✅ Future research directions: 1. Research framework: Selecting pertinent theories for elucidating sensory experiences and identifying pivotal determinants shaping these experiences. 2. Conceptualization of the multisensory museum experience: Sensation, functions of senses, and visitor-exhibition interaction. 3. Role of technology in museum practices: XR technical embodiment and engaging children in the new era. ✅ Managerial implications for museums and aesthetic sites: 1. Set clear criteria to evaluate the exhibition design. 2. Consider situational factors from personal, physical, and sociocultural contexts. 3. Manage what museums can control: The bottom-up and top-down pathways. Huge thanks to my supervisors and co-authors, Lieve Doucé and Karin Nys! Your invaluable guidance and support have made this paper a reality 🎉🎉 #MuseumStudies #MultisensoryExperience #MuseumManagement #PublicationAlert #OpenAccess #ExhibitionDesign

Media Education Centre is a member of the International Network of Museums for Peace MISSION:  The mission of the International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP) is to enable museums for peace (and related organizations) to resource, collaborate, and mutually support each other in their work for peace. VISION:  To identify, share, and disseminate knowledge, resources, and best practices among museums for peace (and related organizations) to advance education for peace, build cultures of peace, and promote global, environmental peace. GOALS:  The International Network of Museums for Peace aims:  * To facilitate information-sharing, collaboration, and mutual support among museums for peace (and related organizations).  * To increase public awareness of museums for peace (and related organizations), their work, their contributions, and their impact on the community. * To identify and evaluate best practices in museum designs, exhibitions, presentations, and events through research projects, publications, and forums.

Great news to see that Minister for State for Museums (among his many other responsibilities), Chris Bryant, will be addressing the Museums Association Conference at Royal Armouries Museum on 12 November. It's an opportunity to hear how museums can both contribute to and benefit from the new government's cross-cutting, missions-based approach. It's also a great opportunity to formulate ideas and questions for a really important discussion to close the conference on 13 November, led by a panel, featuring Lord Chris Smith, Tony Butler, Laura Pye, and Zak Mensah - to explore the new ideas, new strategies and new alliances that museums will need to make to forge a sustainable future in some very uncertain times. I'll be holding a mic' and trying to direct the questions and interventions - so make sure you come with some good ones. I'm looking at the Autumn budget just now, noting that, in real cash terms, by far the largest part of the growth in combined revenue and capital funding between this year and next year will go into sustaining health and social care and education - while departments like DCMS, MHCLG, Business & Trade will take a real terms cut. If we need innovation to drive a new industrial strategy and growth to sustain culture and communities - it sounds as if our government will need help coming up with ideas... and what better place to start than with you? See you in Leeds for some conversations that really matter. https://lnkd.in/evCTdhB8 #Museums2024

Lovely morning spent with the Kids in Museums Youth Panel and people from across the sector about the importance of engaging with young people. There was some great interactive activities, gathering the thoughts of the 40-odd delegates at the session on how and why young people engage in museums. Then some amazing small group discussions where we talked about a range of subjects like: - is the blocker to young people engaging with museums a marketing problem (we don't communicate in ways that engage to make museums relevant to young people) or a product problem (when they come in the door we don't serve their needs well) - what would it cost a museum to make entry for young people universally free (probably not a lot) - if the cost of events and workshops is a barrier to young people, could museums offer one or two tickets to underrepresented groups (my inspiration here was Umbraco Code Garden). If the events are run by third party using the museums space can that be a condition of using the space, and can a (very small) discount be given by the museum to encourage it happen. What an amazing event with great conversations from people across the sector. Well done also to Carys Owen and Joe Rattray for chairing the event. https://lnkd.in/gJJfkRaq

Media Education Centre is a member of the International Network of Museums for Peace MISSION: The mission of the International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP) is to enable museums for peace (and related organizations) to resource, collaborate, and mutually support each other in their work for peace. VISION: To identify, share, and disseminate knowledge, resources, and best practices among museums for peace (and related organizations) to advance education for peace, build cultures of peace, and promote global, environmental peace. GOALS: The International Network of Museums for Peace aims: * To facilitate information-sharing, collaboration, and mutual support among museums for peace (and related organizations). * To increase public awareness of museums for peace (and related organizations), their work, their contributions, and their impact on the community. * To identify and evaluate best practices in museum designs, exhibitions, presentations, and events through research projects, publications, and forums.

Media Education Centre is a member of the International Network of Museums for Peace MISSION: The mission of the International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP) is to enable museums for peace (and related organizations) to resource, collaborate, and mutually support each other in their work for peace. VISION: To identify, share, and disseminate knowledge, resources, and best practices among museums for peace (and related organizations) to advance education for peace, build cultures of peace, and promote global, environmental peace. GOALS: The International Network of Museums for Peace aims: * To facilitate information-sharing, collaboration, and mutual support among museums for peace (and related organizations). * To increase public awareness of museums for peace (and related organizations), their work, their contributions, and their impact on the community. * To identify and evaluate best practices in museum designs, exhibitions, presentations, and events through research projects, publications, and forums.

Media Education Centre is a member of the International Network of Museums for Peace MISSION: The mission of the International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP) is to enable museums for peace (and related organizations) to resource, collaborate, and mutually support each other in their work for peace. VISION: To identify, share, and disseminate knowledge, resources, and best practices among museums for peace (and related organizations) to advance education for peace, build cultures of peace, and promote global, environmental peace. GOALS: The International Network of Museums for Peace aims: * To facilitate information-sharing, collaboration, and mutual support among museums for peace (and related organizations). * To increase public awareness of museums for peace (and related organizations), their work, their contributions, and their impact on the community. * To identify and evaluate best practices in museum designs, exhibitions, presentations, and events through research projects, publications, and forums.

What happens when museums stay silent on what matters? Museums are a treasure trove of stories, histories, and untapped knowledge. But are we making the most of these tools to create meaningful impact? Whether it’s addressing representation, sustainability, or accessibility, research helps us understand: 💜 Where we should focus our efforts 💜 Why it’s important 💜 And how to do better! One thing I’m passionate about is making this work actionable. Data and insights are great—but only if they drive change. Connecting with the real issues and using data to challenge assumptions needs to feed into how museums can be better collaborators for social change. This has been buzzing around my mind for ages, so I finally got all my thoughts out in a blog. Museums must go beyond preserving the past and start shaping the future! Do you agree that we need more strategic research in this area? And how comfortable do you feel using it? #Museums #SocialImpact #Research #CulturalHeritage