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| Speaker: | W. Boyd Rayward |
| Professor of Librarianship, School of Information, Library and Archive Studies, University of New South Wales | |
| Date: | Tuesday 6th July 1999 |
| Time: | 11:30-12:30 |
| Place: | Seminar room 357, Building E6A, Macquarie University |
Abstract:
Museums carry out a range of activities and produce a variety of resources whose purpose is to make visitors aware of what is available in the museum, to guide them physically through the collections in a number of ways, and to increase their understanding and enjoyment of these collections. We call this complex "informative" function the "Docent Function." How is this function best carried out in an electronic environment? How should we structure and mediate for a museum's public the relationship of the real museum to its virtual counterpart? Are there distinctive aspects to what is involved in the "Docent Function" in the real world and what we might call the cyberdocent in the virtual world that we should seek to exploit? Are there informational and educational synergies that might emerge from the interaction of the digital and the physical in carrying out the "Docent Function" in the contemporary museum? This paper reports on a speculative background to collaborative work being undertaken with computer scientist Mike Twidale at the University of Illinois.
Enquiries: sals@mri.mq.edu.au
| Last modified: May, 1999 |