Systems integration of heterogeneous cultural heritage information systems in museums: a case study of the National Palace Museum

Abstract

This study addresses the process of information systems integration in museums. Research emphasis has concentrated on systems integration in the business community after restructuring of commercial enterprises. Museums fundamentally differ from commercial enterprises and thus cannot wholly rely on the business model for systems integration. A case study of the National Palace Museum in Taiwan was conducted to investigate its systems integration of five legacy systems into one information system for museum and public use. Participatory observation methods were used to collect data for inductive analysis. The results suggested that museums are motivated to integrate their systems by internal cultural and administrative operations, external cultural and creative industries, public expectations, and information technology attributes. Four factors related to the success of the systems integration project: (1) the unique attributes of a museum's artifacts, (2) the attributes and needs of a system's users, (3) the unique demands of museum work, and (4) the attributes of existing information technology resources within a museum. The results provide useful reference data for other museums when they carry out systems integration.