Revitalizing museums with digital technology

Computing continues to transform every aspect of culture, including the original forms of location-based entertainment: public libraries and museums. Despite their continuing popularity, museums have generally lagged behind libraries in technology use. For example, a 2002 study conducted by the Institute for Museum and Library Services shows that only 62 percent of museums have a Web site, versus 75 percent of public libraries. Large museums are the exception to this trend and have undertaken several initiatives that foreshadow how museums may evolve in the 21st century. The paper discusses some museum technology applications.