Museum Websites Research Articles

Evaluating the Accessibility of Norwegian Museum Websites.

Accessibility of museum websites is important in an inclusive society. Despite international and national legislations and guidelines on digital accessibility for online public services, websites for museums continue to have different accessibility issues, which pose challenges for diverse visitors. This study aims to identify accessibility barriers in Norwegian museum websites and provide recommendations for improvement. In addition, by using both automated testing and manual evaluation, the study will contribute to the discussion on web accessibility evaluation methods.

Independent local environment control for visitor and relics area within site museums by displacement ventilation

The interior spaces of large-span site museums can typically be categorized into relic preservation areas, visitor corridors, and non-occupied spaces, with only the relic preservation areas and visitor corridors requiring environmental control. The conflicting needs of visitors and relics often render inefficiencies in simultaneously satisfying the thermal needs when using a sole environmental control system. To address this, an independent local environment control method that employs an air curtain to isolate the visitor corridor from the unoccupied space, along with displacement ventilation (DV) systems to regulate the local environment for the visitor corridor and relics, is proposed in this study. The effects of the supply air inlet and air curtain on the performance of the DV system and the feasibility of an independent local environmental control system were evaluated. The results indicated that the performance of the DV system in the visitor corridor was optimal when the height of the air inlet was 0.6 m. When both DV systems were operating, the mean temperature and relative humidity (RH) were 25.6 °C and 68.6 %, respectively, in the visitor corridor, and 20.6 °C and 95.3 %, respectively, in the relic preservation area; both visitor and relic requirements were met independently. This study provides a newly designed independent local environmental control system for museums.

JPaleoDB: One-Stop Search for Japan's Paleontological Collections

The Japan Paleobiology Database (jPaleoDB)*1*2 is a portal website for one-stop searching of paleontological specimens housed in museums across Japan. It contains data for over 430,000 specimen records from 50 museums and institutions as of July 2024 (Table 1). These records include over 7,000 holotypes, more than 100,000 voucher specimens, and represent over 13,000 genera in the Animalia kingdom, over 1,100 genera in the Plantae kingdom, and over 980 genera from other groups. This portal site allows users to search for paleontological specimens from various museums simultaneously, eliminating the need to navigate individual museum databases with different formats and search systems. Search results provide users with detailed information about each specimen, including scientific name, locality, repository, catalog number, type status, and publication. Additionally, results link directly to the corresponding specimen page on each museum's website. jPaleoDB's mission is to establish a network that facilitates the use of paleontological specimens in Japan for research and education. It has further expanded to support curatorial work in each museum by digitizing catalogs to create datasets of currently hidden paleontological collections. jPaleoDB is a research project built and operated by a group of individual researchers from universities and museums, not by a large organization like a national agency or academic society. Integrating data from museums that house specimens is challenging due to the difficulty of automation. As a result, much of the data requires manual curation. In addition, data for voucher specimens described in publications (paleontological papers, illustrated books, catalogs) are incorporated into jPaleoDB by analyzing publicly available resources and examining actual specimens at museums. Because of these reasons, jPaleoDB is still under development. We believe this portal site will be valuable for exploring the comprehensive record of paleontological specimens in Japan and helping users locate specific specimens of interest.

The indoor thermal environment performance of various air-conditioning system configurations and airflow modes in a large space museum building

Optimizing air distribution in site museums is crucial for the long-term protection of heritage sites and the thermal comfort of visitors and staff. This study examined a site museum, analyzing the traditional suspended ceiling air-conditioning system and proposing a more rational renovation. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations, the study evaluated the effects of both systems on site protection and thermal comfort. The results indicated that the retrofit scheme could significantly reduce the indoor air velocity and temperature with the same air supply parameters, which would improve human thermal comfort and also reduce the negative impact of temperature and wind speed on the site. Additionally, the retrofit scheme cut air-conditioning energy consumption by 40% and reduced initial investment costs for a unit with a rated airflow of 62,000 m³/h. The optimization of the air-conditioning system ends was also carefully considered, resulting in a safer and easier installation and maintenance process, as well as enhancing the visual appeal of the museum’s interior. The proposed retrofit scheme can provide a reference for the design of air-conditioning systems in similar types of buildings.

New management approaches and sustainability: the case of the Museo del Traje in Madrid

ABSTRACT Times have changed and museums are adapting to it. Their traditional functions have evolved, and the sustainability of these institutions is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, museums are facing a paradigm shift: from heritage-focused to society, especially their audiences. These institutions must now foster and develop social and economic approaches to adapt to this new situation. Cultural democracy and audience development are emerging as an effective approach and management tool in this adaptation process. This research focuses on the case of the Museo del Traje of Madrid [Costume Museum] in Madrid. Through the study of the Museum's website on its activity and in-depth interviews, this article gathers the information analysed to highlight the effort made by this museum in terms of sustainability through its face-to-face activities. The conclusions reveal that despite the efforts made by the museum in its adaptation process, a new management approach is needed to enhance this work. In this way, by improving its management, the Museo del Traje can become a replicable model of a museum that works to promote sustainability.

Study on the control effectiveness of relative humidity by various ventilation systems for the conservation of cultural relics

The Dadiwan F901 site, boasting a history of over 5000 years, stands as the largest and most intricately crafted large-scale housing structure from China’s prehistoric era. The early renovation efforts, incorporating a sealed glass curtain wall, led to a continuous rise in relative humidity within the site, triggering outbreaks of microbial diseases. Subsequent measures successfully restored stability to the thermal and humid environment. This paper employs on-site real-time environmental monitoring and numerical simulation methods to assess the ventilation effectiveness and relative humidity changes before and after multiple interior modifications of the Dadiwan F901 site museum. The results indicate that the fully enclosed glass curtain wall can suppress the dependence of indoor humidity fluctuations on external weather fluctuations but has generated unintended consequences, leading to increased air relative humidity and even reaching saturation in the museum space. The strategic deployment of louvered windows and duct fans proved effective in enhancing internal airflow dynamics and overall air exchange capacity. It was possible to ensure that the relative humidity inside the site remained at approximately 70%, meeting the essential requirements for the preservation of cultural relics. This study is of great significance for alleviating the deterioration problem of enclosed exhibition halls of earthen relics.Graphical

Investigation on driving mechanism of heritage tourism consumption: a multi-method analytical approach

ABSTRACT In the heritage tourism consumption, it is essential to investigate how heritage tourist motivation and perceived authenticity affect their approach behavioural intentions through destination image and satisfaction. This study combined quantitative and qualitative approaches, involving covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM), fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), and the event-based narrative inquiry technique (EBNIT) to evaluate the antecedents for driving mechanism of heritage tourism consumption. Meanwhile, the moderating role of tourist inconveniences was identified in the formation process of approach behaviours. A sample of 646 Chinese travelers who visited the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum was used for data analysis.

РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЯ НАСЛЕДИЯ РЕПАТРИАНТОВ ИЗ СССР В МУЗЕЯХ ГОСУДАРСТВА ИЗРАИЛЬ

The article examines issues of representation of Soviet Jews in the museum space of the State of Israel. Sources of various types have been studied, indicating the coverage of this problem by the Museum of the Jewish People on the campus of Tel Aviv University and the amuta in Haifa “Let's Remember and Preserve” - the Documentation Centre of the Jewish National Movement in the Soviet Union. When developing the issue, methods of personal, activity, cultural and selective approaches were used. It is concluded that the representation of the community of immigrants from the USSR in the space of the museums studied does not correspond to the significance and contribution that this part of the population made to the birth, formation and development of the State of Israel. In addition, it was noted that the considered museum sites do not reveal the phenomenon of the “Soviet Jew,” which includes representatives of regions that differ in their way of life and mentality, and do not sufficiently solve the problem of building a reliable bridge between the older generation of Russian-speaking repatriates and their descendants born in Israel. The “Ma’alot” community, created in 2016 and setting the goal of its activities to open a Heritage Centre for the Jews of the USSR in Israel, can change the current situation. And although certain difficulties arose along the way of these plans (the COVID-19 epidemic, the peculiarities of the legislation of the State of Israel, the choice of location, the fighting in Gaza and their consequences), the structure of the Centre has already been created, its project has been drawn up, its pages are widely represented on the Internet, and employees - at scientific and public sites.

Development of Kotta Cinna Site Museum in Medan City, 2008-2023

Development of Kotta Cinna Site Museum in Medan City, 2008-2023

Microbial pollution assessment in semi-exposed relics: A case study of the K9901 pit of the mausoleum of emperor Qin Shihuang

Summer and autumn are peak tourist seasons, during which tourists congregate in semi-exposed site museums, heightening the possibility of damage both to the tourists and the exposed relics by airborne microorganisms. This study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of microbial aerosols and the diversity of the microbial genera inside and outside the Emperor Qin Shihuang Mausoleum K9901 Pit. Furthermore, the risk of museum personnel exposure to microbial aerosols was also quantitatively assessed. The results showed that the bacterial aerosol concentrations were 3.5 and 2.5 times the WHO limits (500 CFU/m3) in summer and autumn, respectively. Similarly, the fungal aerosol concentrations in summer and autumn were, respectively, 0.9 and 4.3 times the ACGIH limits (500 CFU/m3). The percentages of bacterial and fungal aerosols in the museum with particle sizes smaller than 4.7 μm were as high as 80.2–89.5 % and 83.2 %–93.2 %, respectively. The count median diameter was at level V of the Anderson sampler (1.1–2.1 μm). The risk of these aerosols being inhaled by personnel and entering the lower respiratory tract was significant. The dominant microbial genera detected had conditional pathogenicity (e.g., Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas) and allergenicity (e.g., Aspergillus and Talaromyces). Regarding tourists, the potential exposure dose (PED) was higher for children than for adults and the elderly. Staff were exposed for longer periods and had 18 times the PED of tourists of the same age, which put them at greater risk. This study offers valuable insights for developing effective environmental optimization measures to protect site museums and public health.

Preliminary Exploration of the Construction of the Great Site Museum in Jingzhou

Jingzhou is the main part of the National Great Site Protection Zone in the Central China region of the Yangtze River Basin. In 2010, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Hubei Provincial People’s Government signed a joint agreement on the protection of the Great Site in Jingzhou, marking a milestone event in the protection of Chu culture heritage and cultural relics in Hubei. The major sites in the Jingzhou area are located within the Jinan Ecological Cultural Tourism Area, giving the construction and development of the site museum in Jingzhou’s Jinan Ecological Cultural Tourism Area a unique advantage. By analyzing the exhibition concepts, architectural concepts, interpretation concepts, and talent development concepts of the three major sites in the jurisdiction area, this paper explores some ideas for the construction of the Great Site Museum.

Cultural communication in museums: A perspective of the visitors experience

As museums shift their responsibilities and functions towards audience-centered approaches, research on exploring museum cultural communication strategies through visitor experiences has gained increasing attention from both academia and industry. This study focuses on the newly opened Nan Song Deshou Palace Relics Site Museum in Hangzhou, China, completed at the end of 2022, and its visitors. Data were collected through on-site surveys and in-depth interviews. The research findings indicate that the current motivations of museum visitors manifest primarily in three forms: knowledge exploration, social interaction, and psychological restoration. After evaluating the existing museum service quality based on the field of experiential value in marketing management, two main issues and features were identified. The issues include sub-optimal visitor pathways and layout, dissatisfaction with staff services, and shortcomings in promotion and communication. The overall cultural learning and interactive experience for the entire visitor base also require improvement. The features are characterized by differentiated cultural and creative consumption in the museum and the emergence of interrelated consumer demands. Based on these findings, the study provides targeted recommendations for future museum construction and communication strategies.

Information Literacy: Utilization of Taman Budaya and Museum UPT Towards Motivation for Learning History

Information literacy learning is very important for teachers and students to improve understanding and skills related to digital media. Learning activities and motivation become triggers for certain behaviors and attitudes and giving a resistance orientation will lead to persistence and not giving up easily getting results. This research introduces museums to students as a learning resource and reference. This type of research is qualitative. The public is invited to participate in interviews and observations, providing information, opinions and perceptions to understand social phenomena from one's point of view. The results show the extent to which management of cultural parks and museums encourages the use of information technology to attract visitors to educational institutions. Providing detailed information about museum collections and exhibits related to historical themes can help curators of cultural parks and museums motivate students to learn more. This is useful for engineering practitioners because it assists the public in exploring museum collections through newspapers, brochures, magazines, websites of cultural parks and museums, as well as online social media.

Species Identification of Inuit Skin and Fur Clothing: Analyses of DNA, Hair Microscopy, and Macroscopical Identification

From approximately 1830 to 1940, through various expeditions to Siberia, Arctic North America, and Greenland, and through donations, the National Museum of Denmark acquired its collection of historical Inuit skin clothing. Unfortunately, original provenance information has been lost for 14% of the garments. In order to document the extensive collection, this study investigates three methods for species identification of animal skin: microscopy of hair, macroscopic identification, and DNA validation. Thus, the present study has two aims: first, to optimise and test hair microscopy for species identification by validating identifications by DNA analyses, and second, to use species identification to estimate the geographic and cultural provenance of Inuit skin clothing. Based on a dataset of well-documented clothing (for positive controls), this study describes an optimised species identification protocol via hair microscopy using transmitted light microscopy (TLM). We demonstrate that the TLM hair protocol is a reliable and inexpensive alternative to molecular approaches when macroscopic identification is doubtful and DNA validation or protein analyses are impossible. In this study we used photomicrographs to document the identifications of caribou (Rangifer tarandus), musk ox (Ovibos moschatus), species of the true seal family (Phocidae), domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), wolf (Canis lupus), Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), polar bear (Ursus maritimus), wolverine (Gulo gulo), ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii richardsonii), ermine (Mustela erminea), and cattle (Bos taurus); these identifications can be used for future reference. We conclude that species identification analyses secure the documentation of garments and allow most objects to be contextualized by culture and geography. The studied garments are accessible at the museum website.

PEMBANGUNAN VIRTUAL MUSEUM BERBASIS VIRTUAL REALITY PADA UPTD TAMAN BUDAYA MUSEUM NEGERI BANTEN

The Banten Provincial State Museum is located in the historic Pendopo Gubernur Banten building in the city of Serang. The building was formerly the Banten Residency Office, established on January 26, 1821. On October 29, 2015, Governor Rano Karno officially inaugurated the museum. The primary goal of the Banten Provincial State Museum is to serve as a repository for the identity of the Banten region. The museum's collection includes historical artifacts from Banten as well as contemporary items from the region. In an effort to enhance accessibility, a Virtual Museum Website was created, allowing visitors to explore the collection anytime and anywhere. The Banten State Culture Park and Museum Unit, responsible for the museum's collections, deeply understands the importance of quality and comfort for visitors. Therefore, the museum not only keeps up with developments in the era of digitalization but also utilizes visualization and simulation technologies, including Virtual Reality. The use of this technology is expected to facilitate visitors in accessing the museum's collection through their electronic devices. The museum recognizes that the development of visualization technology, especially in Virtual Reality, has made significant progress in terms of output quality (graphics, sound, touch), user-friendliness, equipment efficiency, and psychological aspects. This research employs the Research and Development (R&D) method with a Waterfall approach for its development. Data collection techniques include interviews, observations, and literature reviews. With the implementation of the designed website, it is hoped that visitors can easily access the prehistoric collection without physically visiting the museum

A diachronic cluster analysis of Danish museum websites

Earlier studies describing and categorising the development of museum websites either build on theoretical knowledge or the analysis of a qualitative sample of relatively few, but prominent museum websites. The present study takes a broader approach and aims to characterise the development across Danish museum websites through the years 2005–2020. The methodological approach is a diachronic (temporal) analysis of Danish museum websites using data extracted from the Danish Web. A cluster analysis was used to identify similarities between museum websites. The cluster analysis shows that the museum website representations possess distinct attributes pivotal to their degree of resemblance with others, such as collection type, geographical location, organisational structure and whether the communication and dissemination strategy focus on disseminating collection content or extends to a broader communication scope. However, the quantitative text analysis approach to studying archived museum websites did not identified a new typology. Instead, the study suggests how a cluster analysis of the Danish museum web sphere can constitute an initial step in comprehending domain development, and ultimately discerning the attributes that characterise the different museum website clusters.

Promotion of Turin museums in social networks

The article analyzes the problems of promoting Turin museums in social networks. A number of leading museums in the Italian city of Turin were selected for analysis. Museum websites and their accounts on social networks were analyzed expertly and by using web analytics services. As a result of the marketing research, problems in organizing the websites of the selected museums, as well as their activity in the social media, were discovered. Based on the work done, the authors proposed measures to work more effectively with museum communities, attract more visitors, and retain the existing ones.

Translation Problems of Anhui Chu Culture Museum Website

Anhui Chu culture is an important part of Chinese civilization. With the Chinese culture “going out”, Anhui Chu Culture Museum is an important way of Chu culture dissemination. Anhui Chu Culture Museum website is to help international friends to understand the Chu culture of the mainstream media, but at present there are some problems with the translation of the relevant English text on the website. In this case, it is of practical significance to further rectify and optimize the translation of Anhui Chu Culture Museum website. The paper analyzes the English translation specification of the website of Anhui Chu Culture Museum, puts forward the problems existing in the writing specification and translation specification of its translation, and analyzes them, and finally puts forward some feasible suggestions and discusses them accordingly.

Preliminary Study on Microbial Deterioration Control and Effectiveness Evaluation in the Neolithic Prehistoric Archaeological Site of Dadiwan, Northwest China

Microbial deterioration as one of the widespread problems in archaeological site museums significantly affects their safety and exhibits. This paper systemically investigated the environments and conditions of microbial outbreaks in the Dadiwan No. F901 site museum, which is a representative archaeological site of prehistoric Yangshao culture. The morphology and harmful characteristics of the outbreak microorganisms were analyzed by microscopic techniques. The ultraviolet resistance of harmful microorganisms was also studied. Combining these findings with the original facilities of the site museum, a scientific and reasonable project was proposed to control and prevent the activity of harmful microorganisms. In addition, a 1% OIT/DCOIT biocide concentration was applied to inhibit microorganism-caused deterioration, in combination with mechanical removal based on laboratory tests and screening in situ. The effectiveness of microbial control was assessed using a portable microscope, ATP bioluminescence assay, and color difference detection. As a long-lasting preventive measure for microbial deterioration, an ultraviolet sterilization system can efficaciously prevent the re-outbreak of microbial deterioration to form a relatively stable dynamic balance for the surroundings of the site. This study is a resultful exploration in terms of microbial control and plays an important role in the sustainable protection of archaeological site museums.

A case study investigation-based experimental research on transport of moisture and salinity in semi-exposed relics

Semi-exposed relics within an air–soil system often have earthworks partially buried, leading to moisture migration and substantial salt accumulation. Salt accumulation threatens relic preservation, but destructive sampling is hindered by conservation concerns. We conducted a case study on salt enrichment at K9901 Armour Pit of Emperor Qinshihuang 's Mausoleum Site Museum. Environmental factors and soil salt characteristics were assessed through sampling and monitoring. A relic-soil coupling system was established with a soil column device containing burned bricks. Using 5-TE sensors, water and salinity movement was tracked, and X-ray diffraction analyzed relic salt crystals. The soil column experiment effectively simulated water-salt migration in relics. Salts, like Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, Na+, and Mg2+, concentrated on the soil surface during evaporation. Simulation linked specific salt species to relic ailments. Salt solution from soil migrated to bricks, forming CaSO4 crystals. Results highlight coupling's role in salt-related deterioration and the need to protect it for optimal relic preservation. Findings impact semi-exposed relic conservation, revealing salt accumulation processes and their impact on historical artifacts.