Historically, citizens have turned to museums to provide stewardship over our shared public heritage and provide expert interpretations and opinions on artifacts, but today the traditional institutional authority is changing. Now, citizens expect immediate access, participation and engagement with public knowledge and data sources, driving the need for new ways of approaching information management.
Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation cares for approximately 110,000 artifacts and operates three national museums including the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum. Through these museums, Ingenium has engaged with nearly 14 million Canadians, but it sees its future as a global leader in participatory heritage and is fully committed to the Government of Canada’s agenda for openness and transparency.
Ingenium is leading the way in participatory engagement, becoming the first national museum in Canada to release its collection data as open data, and also the first to engage in national hackathons.
Building on a full suite of OpenText platforms including Content Server, Web Site Management and Media Management, Ingenium is helping citizens engage with its collection in new ways. For example, researchers can find the story behind an artifact; curious citizens can browse the artifact and information collection, digging deep into their passions; and teachers can find resources at the museum they can share with their classroom.
In order to deliver this vision of open heritage, Ingenium worked with OpenText to share its digitized collection, using a robust enterprise architecture to offer visitors and citizens a truly innovative digital experience.
As the Canada Science and Technology Museum reopens its doors to the public after a three-year renovation, its digitized collection will be on full display. Through digitization, the Canada Science and Technology Museum is now able to offer a modern and open experience online, equaling its amazing new renovations on-site. These advancements will allow visitors from around the world to explore the knowledge and artifacts of the museum, furthering our shared heritages and understanding of our amazing past in science and technology.
Deepest congratulations to our friends at the Canada Science and Technology Museum on their re-opening to the public. We know that the legacy of investment in digital engagement will be a lasting addition to the museum’s new physical presence.
Source: Open Text Blogs
