Large Museum Research Articles

Increasing stability of northern Austrian Lepidoptera populations over three decades

Abstract Agricultural intensification has led to landscape homogenisation across major parts of Europe and to reduced diversity in flora and fauna. In Central Europe, the species composition of major insect groups is increasingly dominated by a few ecologically generalist and mobile species. So far, however, the degree of stability of population sizes in today's anthropogenic landscapes in comparison to the pre‐Anthropocene has hardly been analysed. Here, we studied large museum records of Lepidoptera from northern Austria spanning the years 1990–2022 to infer trends in the stability of population sizes. On average, population dynamics decreased and stability increased significantly over time. This trend was most pronounced in lowland regions, where agricultural intensification transformed the former heterogeneous landscapes into intensively managed grasslands and fields. Community structures are now dominated by ubiquitous species. Habitat specialist species existing in isolated patches particularly decreased over time. A metapopulation structure appeared to have a stabilising effect on population dynamics. We conclude that reduced diversity and altered community composition might not only stem from selective population decline but also from altered patterns of population stochasticity. Higher population stability was associated with faunal homogenisation. Precise butterfly sensitivity analyses require long‐term data on average population sizes and on community composition.

Value, knowledge and reputation: zoological exchange by Australian museums, 1870-1900.

The burgeoning nineteenth-century public-museum sector built a significant part of its natural-history specimen collections through extensive international trading. The early 2020s has seen an upsurge of scholarly interest in this largely overlooked trade. Exchange was a distinctive aspect of the natural-history trade that reveals much about the diverse practices and motives of the institutional collectors. Economic-geographic benefits included conserving the limited financial resources of museums and exploiting complementarities in the geographic distribution of specimens. Collection management, institutional reputation, social connection and international diplomacy were also part of a complex mix of value making that shaped this important international trade. We analyse the exchange practices of the three largest museums in the Australian colonies in the final three decades of the nineteenth century who exchanged Australia's 'rare and curious' fauna with collectors across the globe. By deploying and analysing extensive, comparative data on a particular form of natural history, zoology, and a particular kind of trade, exchange trading, among three Australian museums, this paper extends and enriches recent scholarship on the mobility of natural-history specimens and how they were traded.

Defining the micromuseum from curators’ perspectives

This study aims to establish a basic definition for micromuseums. Research was conducted among twenty-one micromuseums on eight Mediterranean islands guided by semi-structured interviews with curators of independent, private, and state micromuseums on the Maltese Islands, the Ragusan Province of Sicily, and other islands for comparative purposes. All gathered information was analysed, and the findings indicate that there are specific factors which contribute to defining a micromuseum and differentiate it from traditional establishment museums. In comparison to earlier literature on micromuseology, the study revealed that micromuseums, among other characteristics, focus on specific themes and collections not typically found in larger museums, operate with minimal visibility, have staff members who perform multiple roles, cater to niche audiences, employ curators who are experts in their field, and prioritize interactions between curators and visitors.

Museums and climate change discourse: the selected case studies analysis

ABSTRACT The objective of the article is to analyse how museums become involved in the climate discourse. To analyse the empirical material, a critical discourse analysis was used to examine the discourse practices implemented by museums in their strategic documents on environmental and climate issues. Results: Despite the museums' take on the challenges of the climate crisis in their strategy documents, the tacit assumption of human/cultural dominion over nature prevails. The analyses reveal the facade nature of the content found in the strategic documents of the selected museums. Despite addressing content related to the climate crisis, there is a lack of proposals for unconventional solutions or groundbreaking projects. Bringing together a range of different types of institutions around the theme of sustainability in the broadest sense puts museums at the centre of a network of civil society institutions with an important leadership role in the face of the challenges of the future. It will be up to the museums themselves to mobilise the other actors towards a viable solution to the problem. A limitation of the research is that it was conducted in large museums that are participating in the aforementioned discourse and on the other hand, there is a lack of the local perspective on environmental issues.

Research on the Innovative Development Model of the Chinese Museum Cultural Creative Industry in the New Media Era

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to clarify the development status of museum cultural creative industry in the new media era, and make contributions to the development of museum cultural creative industry in the new media era. Use new media technology to enhance the innovation and development space of museum culture. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study uses the method of literature research and case study, combined with the Palace Museum, Suzhou Museum and other large museums for in-depth analysis. By combing national policies and industry norms, the development and sale of cultural and creative products, and the application of digital technology, the paper summarizes the problems in the development and sale of museum cultural and creative products. Findings – It is necessary to grasp the opportunities for the development of cultural and creative industries, innovate the development concept of museums, and implement industrial development policies. From the application of digital technology, market-oriented operation and other aspects to accelerate the pace of museum cultural and creative industry development. At the same time, establish brand awareness, multi-channel marketing, and promote the comprehensive development of museum cultural and creative industry. Research Implications – This study enriches the theoretical scope of new media development. In addition, through the analysis of the development status of the cultural and creative industry of museums, it more clearly indicates the practical difficulties faced by the development of the cultural and creative industry of museums, and points out the direction for the development of the cultural and creative industry of museums in the future.

Enabling 3D CT-scanning of cultural heritage objects using only in-house 2D X-ray equipment in museums

Visualizing the internal structure of museum objects is a crucial step in acquiring knowledge about the origin, state, and composition of cultural heritage artifacts. Among the most powerful techniques for exposing the interior of museum objects is computed tomography (CT), a technique that computationally forms a 3D image using hundreds of radiographs acquired in a full circular range. However, the lack of affordable and versatile CT equipment in museums, combined with the challenge of transporting precious collection objects, currently keeps this technique out of reach for most cultural heritage applications. We propose an approach for creating accurate CT reconstructions using only standard 2D radiography equipment already available in most larger museums. Specifically, we demonstrate that a combination of basic X-ray imaging equipment, a tailored marker-based image acquisition protocol, and sophisticated data-processing algorithms, can achieve 3D imaging of collection objects without the need for a costly CT imaging system. We implemented this approach in the British Museum (London), the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), and the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). Our work paves the way for broad facilitation and adoption of CT technology across museums worldwide.

Museum Shops - Cultural Content Mediation Method or Business actor

Culture plays an increasingly important role in the economy of countries and is ahead of many other sectors in solving such problems as creating jobs and attracting investments, moreover, culture appears as one of the main stimuli for the development of other sectors of the economy. That is why, in connection with the term culture, the term culture industry is used more and more often. The use of this definition is completely correct, because the projects implemented in the field of culture are becoming more and more fully equipped with all the features necessary for all other commercial projects. It is often the case that the influence of the cultural project on the consumer determines his or her behavior and turns him into a consumer not only of the main object of the cultural project, but also of other products carrying its content and values. The museum appears to be the most important place for the implementation of cultural projects. It is here that there is a continuous relationship between the user and cultural objects, artifacts. The potential of museums in popular countries of the world is utilized to the maximum extent both in terms of implementation of cultural projects and development of the culture industry. Moreover, the opportunities of the world's largest museums are very effectively used by various business sectors to present their brand, product or service and provide intangible values. This circumstance adds even more significance to culture as a factor of the economy and makes cultural projects more interesting in this regard. It is necessary to analyze this situation and present all the features that make the cultural project such a multi-valued event and which in turn will bring maximum benefits to us as a country in terms of economic development - both in terms of content and values, self-identification, and purely economic features. Keywords:culture; cultural projects; cultural industry; museum; Museum shops

Digitization Coordination Workshop Report

Many larger museums and archives have begun to implement a centralized approach to digitization of collections by creating Digitization Coordinator positions. This new effort has initiated a singular vision for digitization that incorporates priorities, workflows, and resources to greatly improve the efficiency and throughput of digitization in collections. Smaller institutions are now starting to see the benefit of creating a more structured cross-disciplinary approach to digitization, allowing for better awareness and resourcing of digitization needs. The workshop brought together natural sciences digitization professionals from the USA and EU, highlighting lessons learned and best practices to realize the benefits of a coordinated approach including advocacy for digitization, accelerating digitization efficiency and, ultimately, increasing digital collections access and usability to address societal challenges, such as biodiversity decline. Insights, lessons learned and initial thoughts on best practices are described, and the supporting workshop resources are shared so that others can benefit.

An Inquiry‐based Approach to Understanding Well‐being and Smartphone Usage: Constructing Research with Adolescent Students

AbstractInquiry can be an effective educational strategy for building critical thinking and student agency, but it is also a catalyst for scientific research. This study built upon a foundation of inquiry as 25 adolescents participated in a nine‐week guided inquiry curriculum focused on smartphones and digital responsibility. As participants developed personally meaningful inquiries and designed investigations into smartphone usage, they became co‐researchers who conducted their own research studies at a large museum. The study examines to what extent participants show changes in their (1) sense of well‐being; (2) awareness of personal smartphone usage. Pre‐ and post‐intervention data compared participants' personal awareness of smartphone usage and investigated participants' well‐being. Results showed significant increases in positive affect and smartphone awareness, with significant decreases in negative affect. This study provides important insights for teachers and researchers by highlighting the positive educational impacts of two‐way dialogue between research and education.

Investigating insect catch metrics from a large Austrian museum

Insects can damage museum collections. Heritage organisations are increasingly alert to such risk, so have moved towards integrated pest management which sees monitoring as important to conservation strategies. Museum insects are usually monitored using sticky traps, although the records these provide are not always easy to interpret or analyse, so scoring methods, pest occurrence indices and zone systems have been used to use the observations to manage pests. A six-year trapping programme at almost 700 sites (i.e. traps) across six floors of a large museum in Austria provided a total catch of ∼30 000 arthropods. Catch rate (catch per trap) was higher on lower floors although there was a substantial year-to-year variation. In addition to blunder traps, a proportion using pheromones as an attractant were effective at catching T. bisselliella. The pheromone is not attractive to silverfish (Zygentoma) yet the shy insects appear to take cover in the pheromone traps. In contrast Attagenus spp. were caught at equal rates on both pheromone and blunder traps. The study examined what factors influence the catch of insects in traps. The overall catch in a room is proportional to the number of traps set out. Catch increases with the size of the room, but this may arise because the number of traps is also related to room size. More specifically catch seems proportional to square root of room area, suggesting it relates to its perimeter. Infestations are revealed by high catch rate, maximum catches on a set of traps and the proportion of traps that are active in catching insects. The study aims to assess which parameters that might assist in identifying infested locations in museums.

Implementation of Parhyangan Aspects in Awig-Awig (Traditional Regulations) Subak Anggabaya

Subak is often discussed as a large museum, a place where people can learn about the application of a philosophy, whose name is Tri Hita Karana (THK). That is why UNESCO recognizes Subak with the topic: Subak as Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy. That if you want to see how a philosophy called Tri Hita Karana is applied in society, then just look at the activities of the subak system in Bali. The Parhyangan aspect is one of the elements of the Tri Hita Karana which must be regulated in the awig-awig subak. A rule will certainly not be meaningful or useful if it is not implemented. Therefore, it is important to carry out research regarding the implementation of the parhyangan aspect in Awig-awig Subak Anggabaya. Regarding the location, the research was carried out at the Anggabaya subak as one of the sustainable subaks in the city of Denpasar. Based on this background, the problem raised is how to implement the parhyangan aspect in the awig-awig subak Anggabaya. The data is analyzed using qualitative analysis, namely the data and facts found will be described. Next, it will be studied based on existing references or based on logic. From the research results, it can be concluded that the implementation of the parhyangan aspect in the awig-awig subak Anggabaya has generally gone well.

Innovation and adaptation at the Smithsonian Institution in response to changing times and increased need

ABSTRACT This article focusses on how the Smithsonian Institution’s staff and programmes are adapting in response to an evolving world and increasing requests for assistance. The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, with long-standing programmes focussed on capacity building in times of need. Central to this work is communication—listening, building trust among collaborators and prioritising cultural heritage communities in decision-making. This article highlights four activities currently helping to strengthen cultural resources and support colleagues in times of crisis: building on early experiences to inform and improve on-the-ground cultural rescue efforts domestically and abroad; learning to build local and government relationships impacting conservation efforts abroad; creating new heritage anti-trafficking courses for law enforcement that reflect current events and include the voices of in-country experts; and building networks of expertise to develop and implement a new institution-wide Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy. The common thread throughout these four programmes, each with different goals, is the importance of communication and collaboration.

BALLET DANCERS OF THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY IN THE PLASTIC INTERPRETATION OF B. FREDMAN-KLUZEL

The article is devoted to notable events in the theatrical life of the turn of the 20th century, when ballet dancers often became models for artistic works. The author refers only to one sculptor B. O. Fredman-Kluzel (1878-1959), whose name is little known in art history, despite the fact that some of his works are in large museum collections. They partly served as a source for the research, as well as old printed publications in which reproductions of the sculptor’s works are found and Sotheby’s catalogues, because his works were auctioned during S. Diaghilev’s “Russian Ballet Seasons” and most of them are abroad. The methodology of this study is based on a systematic, interdisciplinary and stylistic approach. The author comes to the conclusion that the signifi cance of the artistic heritage of B. O. Fredman-Kluzel is determined by the achievements of the ballet theatre itself, the staging principles of M. Fokin, outstanding personalities, as well as the genre, content and aesthetic side of choreographic works created at the turn of the 20th century.

Protective weapons in the khanates of Central Asia in the late 18<sup>th</sup> — early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries

The main issues discussed in the article are devoted to armors and shields that existed in the khanates of Central Asia in the late 18th — early 20th centuries. The references to protective weapons in the region in written sources since the last quarter of the 16th century have been studied. On the basis of the exhibits that came to large museum collections during the period of the existence of armor in the region, both a typical complex of protective weapons of a Central Asian warrior and individual items from it are considered in detail. Based on the studied written sources and research artefacts, a hypothesis is put forward about the influence of India and Iran on the defensive weapons in the khanates of Central Asia, which manifested itself both in the style of armor and in the use by Central Asian warriors of items made by Indian and Persian craftsmen.

Current State and Challenges in Democratizing Small Museums’ Collections Online

This article focuses on the problematic democratization of small museum collections online in Cyprus. While the web has enabled cultural heritage organizations to democratize information to diverse audiences, numerous small museums do not enjoy the fruits of this digital revolution; many of them cannot democratize their collections online. The current literature provides insight into small and large museums’ challenges worldwide. However, we do not have any knowledge concerning small Cypriot museums. This article aims to fulfill this gap by raising the following research question: What is the current state of small museum collections online in Cyprus, and what challenges do they face in democratizing their collections online? We present our empirical results from the interview summaries gathered from six small museums.

The Student Club as a Tool for Attracting Youth Audience to Museums

The authors describe the possibility of using a differentiated approach based on vocational education in the field of art and culture as a new criterion for attracting youth audiences to museums in the digital era. A distinctive feature of the differentiated approach in the activities of museum student clubs is the targeted impact on various groups of young people, taking into account their age and level of art training in the development of museum programs. In order to assess the applicability of the differentiated approach to working with young people in museums, the members of student clubs of the two largest museums in Russia, i.e., the Hermitage and the Russian Museum, were surveyed. Expert interviews with the staff of the student clubs were also conducted. Based on the results of the analysis, the authors identified three groups of the young people, which were designated as “interested,” “advanced” and “proficient.” The criteria for dividing into the groups were differences in the educational level of the students in the field of art and culture. This division allowed to determine the forms of the most attractive museum events for the identified groups of students. The results of the study may be useful in working with the youth audience in other museums.

МУЗЕЙ АУДИТОРИЯСЫН ТАРТУҒА АРНАЛҒАН ЖАҢА ДИЖИТАЛ МАРКЕТИНГ ҚҰРАЛДАРЫ

This article examines in detail and analyzes the role of new digital marketing tools in the promotion and advertising of museum communications. Specialists of the foreign museum industry have considered approaches to the marketing of the museum industry, analyzed the main directions of new technologies of digital marketing in the development of museum102 communications and the collection of the target audience. The marketing of events is considered as the basis of these directions, the whole essence is revealed. Information on how to use them is also recorded, defining 5 stages of interaction between the museum and the visitor related to the use of media. In conclusion, the analysis is carried out and the importance of the main trends in the use of digital and remote technologies by the largest museums in the world is outlined.

Minor painting: Outsiders and outliers

The editorial surveys the current terrain of contemporary self-taught and outsider art. Using Deleuze and Guattari’s Towards a Minor Literature to suggest a specific category of minor painting, the text discusses how museological discourse on outsider art that developed over the twentieth century has been transformed over the past decade by large museum exhibitions and smaller community organizations’ activities. These include key examples such as the National Gallery of Art, Washington’s exhibition Outliers and American Vanguard Art curated by Lynne Cooke, and White Columns’s exemplary programme that supports visionary and self-taught artists in New York City. The text outlines how these examples alongside curatorial activism and reappraisal have attempted to recalibrate art history and provides an analysis of the inclusion of outsider and self-taught art in biennales such as Venice, quinquennials such as Documenta and small publicly funded spaces with a desire for equality and inclusion.

Transformation of the Museum Sphere in the Convention of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The article draws attention to the development of cultural and cognitive tourism in Ukraine in the context of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The degree of information technologies introduction as an effective form of museum work in the conditions of lockdown is analyzed. The level of activity of “museumvisitor” communications in social networks as the main platform for dialogue and work was assessed. Attention is paid to the role of panoramic photos, virtual tours, online tours as an effective marketing tool for self-promotion and a mechanism for saving the internal visitors in order for them to return in the future.Based on the collected material on traffic congestion, in the number of visits, posts, reposts, and preferences, a cluster analysis of information activity of cultural and cognitive tourism facilities was conducted and four centers were identified: Central-Eastern; Western; Southern; Northern. It was stated that the dynamics of information technology dissemination was more active in the Central-Eastern and Northern regions. The presence of a big number of large museums facilitated the involvement of volunteers or investors to digitize exhibitions or create virtual tours, in contrast to small regional ones which were distributed in the western regions of Ukraine. The seasonality of bursts of interest in information resources during the New Year holidays or summer vacations has been revealed.Statistical analysis of visitors to the information resources of museums by age, sex, geography of residence helped to draw attention to the characteristics of visitors. The data showed that the majority of visitors (80 %) belonged to local users, which suggests the need to promote them, especially in other regions of Ukraine, in order to intensify domestic tourism. This practice will not only increase the tourist flow of Ukraine, but also the cultural and tourist integration of citizens. At the same time, women showed greater interest in information resources, which indicates the need to take into account these features in building the marketing strategy of museums in the information space.

Usability of Visiting Routes in Heritage: The Case Study of Mercati di Traiano.

Large museums as services to the community, can be considered strategic facilities needing exploitation after the health emergency. Through optimising usability, some methodologies and tools taken from other building uses (hospitals, airports) for analysing users and flows seem effective in testing new spaces' uses. The case study of Mercati Traianei-Museo dei Fori Imperiali was investigated in two different periods and methods for comparing the impacting factors on usability and orientation of visiting routes. A direct analysis in 2015 detected crucial issues for walking through museum routes and connections, while a more recent indirect analysis went deeper through configurational methodologies included in the Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS). This methodology empowers analysis of the space syntax, and the factors affecting the visitors' satisfaction. The two methods were found to be effective for a deeper knowledge of the museum and its priorities. Tools of direct on-site observation are essential to promptly identify obstacles for upgrading usability. Instead, the configurational analysis allows a much faster application and supports a more global and dynamic vision of more inclusive visiting routes, avoiding visitors' stigmatisation.