INFO-679: Museums and Digital Culture; Pratt Institute
Project Description – Through background analysis and digital trial, I explored the digital interface for the Museum of Interesting Things in order to find a digital tool that could enhance their institutional presence. Due to their small size and staff, I recommended the implementation of CatalogIt, an affordable cloud-based Collections Management System (CMS), in order to bring their objects into the digital space. Final project deliverables included a paper and a presentation.
Methods – In order to understand what tool would benefit the institution, I went through in depth background and website analysis to identify gaps. What stood out most was the lack of a robust digital catalog and the known knowledge that the institution runs without a clear organizational system. The implementation of a CMS would allow them to digitize and preserve the objects in the collection and expand accessibility to patrons of the museum. In order to properly suggest a tool, I researched many CMS systems and landed on CatalogIt as it was affordable and customizable, as well as had an accompanying web interface. To get a sense of the tool, I conducted an interview with a museum professional that currently uses CatalogIt, as well as did my own trial into the individual tier of the system.
Presentation
Paper
Marilyn Ray 