Accessibility in Digital Museums

Things are going well with research and the rough draft of my thesis. The majority of the literature review, concerns, benefits, etc sections of the paper are looking good. I have a lot of good research I would like to add to certain parts and details to others; but there is so much to discuss it is hard not to ramble on about a large section that isn't really all that important in the overall scheme of such an ambitious project.

One part of the paper I had planned to add was a small bit on accessibility. With the nature of digital content, it is rather reasonable to integrate something like Google tools to automatically generate captions for movies and read back text documents. That is easy enough. But another part of the paper is discussing how big data can benefit museums. By seeing what exhibits and objects are most viewed, discussed, and tagged, a museum can easily see what they should be focusing on for their core visitors.

But should we track data about accessibility access? If a visitor using the application simply wants to learn more and happens to blind or deaf, should we know? On one hand it is potentially useful information to see if such content should be getting more focus and better features, but it could also be an invasion of privacy if users want to remain anonymous. In the long run its simple to just have two check boxes, one to enable accessibility, and one to remain anonymous about it. I had not really considered how potentially big of a deal it could be on various levels. Interesting food for thought.

making progress slowly, but surely

The first draft of the thesis seemed to go over well, and it looks like it's moving in the right direction. There are clear gaps in some of the information; but its far better to figure this out sooner rather than later. A lot of the information gaps were mainly because sections were newly added after talking with Dr. Lent and Dr. Decker. The most important section that is added is the comparison of the initial conditions report from 2010, when the Wildenhain Collection was added, to my condition reporting. The condition reports will either help to validate the efforts the Archives have done in taking care of the objects, or to show that there slight issues and could be focused on in the paper.

Also I am looking into contacting Kari in the library about possible information on shipping art work, because I know she has personal experience with this. That being said, I am concerned that she focuses mainly on graphic art collections, which have different needs and focuses than ceramics. 

First (Last) 10 Pages

In the past week, I have prepared 10 pages for my senior thesis rough draft. I chose to focus on writing my case study section first because it was fresher in my head, and I could talk about the experience I had with each machine I worked with. I also handed in a few pages of photos, two of which I took of the scanner I used, two other scanners that I was introduced to in the digitization department at the library, and a screenshot of the content management system program I used to upload the scans to the back end of the website, Rochester Voices.  In two weeks, I plan on having 12-15 pages done and ready to hand in, 10 of which will be the edited draft I handed in before, using the suggestions I was given by fellow students and Dr. Decker. I feel like I am on a good track with my thesis- I will go back to the library on March 10 in order to look at the Google Analytics to come up with a conclusion regarding the accessibility this website grants for online visitors.

Umbraco 4 screencapture

Recalculating.....In 400 Feet Turn Left.

This past week has seen good steps towards clarifying the direction of my paper as well as my internship with the Seneca Park Zoo. Meeting with Bart Roselli and Emily Coon-Frisch earlier this week helped to identify areas at the zoo which could potentially benefit from more attention in my thesis. Some of these areas included exhibit and program effectiveness, satisfaction, and evaluation measures. After meeting with Mr. Roselli and Ms. Coon-Frisch, I met with Dr. Decker and discussed how these items could shape my paper. In our meeting, we discussed changing the literature review of visitor studies into a project centered on the creation of two evaluation tool kits for use at the Seneca Park Zoo: one for exhibitions and one for programs. These tool kits, in our opinion, could provide a more applicable instrument for visitor studies at the zoo as well as structuring the framework of future evaluations.

This shift in direction is, thankfully, not a complete overhaul of my previous plans, but rather a more narrowed application of the research I have compiled over the last year. Much of the research I had gathered already related in some way or another to exhibitions, programs, or evaluations. In this sense, I already had a relatively strong base of knowledge. The challenge now becomes locating and synthesizing published research from zoos and aquariums themselves about evaluation measures and using this information to compile best practices and methods.

The Complications with Research

Beginning to write my thesis has been a slow but steady process. The testing I have been planning to do all along has begun to unravel. I intended to use the spectrophotometer owned by the George Eastman House and housed in the conservation department. Unfortunately, the one that they own cannot gather spectral information on a transparent material. I'm trying to think of other possibilities for a thesis topic with the sources and information I currently have. I am making a last ditch effort to make this testing possible, even trying to rent my own portable/handheld spectrophotometer that has transmission capabilities.This is the third time in the past year where I have been faced with a drastic change to my project. I understand that this is the nature of research, but it is difficult to accept.

Photo taken by the author of the George Eastman House

Issues with Tissues

View of the RIT Quarter Mile, then and two years ago. Look at what has changed, and how the trees have grown!

*This is NOT an image I will be using in my thesis, just one that I found online can demonstrate the thrill of comparing the past and present side by side. 

This has been a horrible past couple of months for me as far as getting sick goes - it seems as if I haven't gone more than a week at a time without getting sick. First was a nasty sinus infection, then an upper respiratory infection, a stomach bug, and last week - the day before the first rough draft of my thesis was due - I was struck down by a particularly nasty case of Strep A. I won the lottery as far as the strain goes though, because it meant I was able to start antibiotics right away. Still, it has been a rough recovery since the antibiotics have been hard on my stomach and my body is just worn out from constantly fighting off all these illnesses.

Despite all that, I have been working on my rough draft, re-reading sources, reviewing/choosing/searching for images, scheduling interviews, and trying to finalize my list of locations. 

So far, the list includes: 

• The Rochester School for the Deaf (RSD)
• Grave sites of RSD children and founders 
• The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at RIT (will include the Panara Theatre & the Dyer Arts Center)
• The cafe/bar where Deaf Poetry Nights were held
• The Little Theatre (which has hosted Deaf Rochester Film Festival screenings)
• The Rochester Recreation Club for the Deaf

I still need to find/choose images for the last three locations currently on the list (may need to pay a visit to the Rochester Public Library or ask individuals for photos), and I am still searching for deaf-owned businesses - which will hopefully turn up during interviews with the NTID/RIT staff and faculty members I have contacted.

I am looking forward to a meeting with my secondary advisor, Dr. Kitzel, on Monday for an in-depth discussion on the subject of deaf geographies. She currently teachers a course on the subject here at RIT, and will also be directing the Deaf Geographies Field School this summer. 

Abstract about Research

The purpose of this research is to identify the correlation between museums and retail stores and to understand the relationship between these two environments. Although museums do not offer their items for sale (except items in the gift shop), they can adopt the same principles, ideals, methods, and guidelines as retail stores when it comes to the way the museum is operated, including but not limited to: collections management, exhibit design, advertisement, and customer relations. Museums can treat their collections the same way a retail store treats their products by putting what is valued on display, protecting it with security measures, having individuals who are knowledge about the objects on display educate the customer/visitor, and using the objects to attract visitors through methods of advertisement. 

Retail store space:
http://www.cherokee-mountain-realty.us/creating-productive-retail-store/ 

Museum Exhibit:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/10/_spy_the_secret_world_of_espionage_and_other_museum_exhibits_that_use_technology.html

Research Methods- Issues

I am attempting to figure out what my research question should be, in an effort to research more effectively in an attempt to answer this question. My question at this point is, "How is a museum similar to a retail space, and how can a museum adapt the principles that retail stores use to attract visitors and promote an engaging experience?" This is a rough question and it is possible that it will change.

Some of the research I have been doing in regard to this question has been difficult because it seems to be a fairly under-researched topic in general. Finding credible, legitimate sources has definitely been a challenge!

I am also not sure of the exact path I will be taking, if I will have a somewhat broad focus and think of general museums and general stores, or focus on a specific store or a specific museum as more of a case study approach. 

If anyone has any suggestions from when they did their research, it would be helpful!

Katy Kusse