DOSSIER “ICT and Heritage”
Use of Websites to Increase Access and Develop Audiences in Museums: Experiences in British National Museums
Margarida Loran
(mloran@menta.net )
External consultant for the cultural content and services company adoptArt, SL
Abstract
Many authors argue that digital technologies, and particularly the World Wide Web, have great potential to serve the challenges faced by museums in relation to access and audience development, which involves reaching and nurturing both existing and new audiences. But what initiatives are there, and how effective are they? What strategies and actions are museums undertaking to take advantage of this potential? What is it being done to establish closer ties with core audiences or to attract new audiences? And what is the audience response to the museums’ efforts? The British experience in this field is of particular interest because it shows a political context favourable to the development of this emerging area of museum work, and it provides some remarkable and exemplary cases from which to learn good practices.
Keywords
museum, United Kingdom, lifelong learning
Submission date: February 2005
Published in: May 2005
