Planning and managing a successful online exhibition – what to consider Grace Kimble School Programme Developer James Hatton Archives Assistant

Examples of online exhibitions

Things to think about What? Who? Why? How? When?

What?

Who?

Why?

How?

When?

Iterative Process what? who? why? how? when?

1. What Choice of content To raise the profile of previously unseen material Common request from audience To support curators To support a temporary exhibition To support a permanent exhibition To support the curriculum Government agenda Grant funding

Choice of content

To raise the profile of previously unseen material

Common request from audience

To support curators

To support a temporary exhibition

To support a permanent exhibition

To support the curriculum

Government agenda

Grant funding

To raise the profile of previously unseen material

Common request from audience

Common request from audience

To support curators

To support curators

To support a temporary exhibition

To support a temporary exhibition

To support a permanent exhibition

To support a permanent exhibition

To support the curriculum

To support the curriculum

Government / wider agenda

Grant funding

2. Who? Age/education level Wide/narrow range Formal/informal Accessibility What will I find out? Why do I want to? What do I already know about this collection? Am I going to visit?

Age/education level

Wide/narrow range

Formal/informal

Accessibility

Age/education level

Age/education level

Wide/narrow focus: Levels of information

Degree of formality- Curriculum constraints/ extra information

Degree of formality- Curriculum constraints/ extra information

Accessibility

Accessibility

3. Why? Who benefits? How do they benefit? Learning Objectives: To develop knowledge and understanding of variation and classification To understand how scientists and historians share, interpret and collect evidence To select and identify relevant information to use in an exhibition design activity Generic learning outcomes- Inspiring Learning for all

Who benefits? How do they benefit?

Learning Objectives:

To develop knowledge and understanding of variation and classification

To understand how scientists and historians share, interpret and collect evidence

To select and identify relevant information to use in an exhibition design activity

Returning to ‘What’- more detail this time! Selection of resources Collaboration with other departments/organisations Digitisation Interpretation Narrative and tone of voice Degree of linearity Navigation Degree of choice Place on website

Selection of resources

Collaboration with other departments/organisations

Digitisation

Interpretation

Narrative and tone of voice

Degree of linearity

Navigation

Degree of choice

Place on website

Collaboration with other departments/organisations

Narrative and tone of voice

Digitisation

Interpretation

Degree of linearity

Degree of choice- site map

NaturePlus Visitors collect content during the Cocoon experience, which they can access later online, to continue their learning.

Look and feel Placefinder

Look and feel

Placefinder

Navigation

Place on website

4. How Software Downloads- useful for setting an activity to do- drawback printing out, time taken to download Hardware- test with the range of hardware which audience might use: phone/laptop/PC How much? Planning

Software

Downloads- useful for setting an activity to do- drawback printing out, time taken to download

Hardware- test with the range of hardware which audience might use: phone/laptop/PC

How much?

Planning

Software Content management system Information input Picture upload Video links- time Structure Games Amount of text Time to learn Downloads Updated?

Software

Content management system

Information input

Picture upload

Video

links- time

Structure

Games

Amount of text

Time to learn

Downloads

Updated?

Downloads

Downloads

Hardware- test with the range of hardware which audience might use: phone/laptop/PC How is it going to be presented (informs guidance notes)

Hardware- test with the range of hardware which audience might use: phone/laptop/PC

How is it going to be presented (informs guidance notes)

How much? -staff time (development/maintenance) -photographer -consultation -hardware -software -expertise

How much?

Planning instructions competition image and download plan what does the mammals gallery look like now choose animal decision animals moving again has the mammals gallery changed? flip images What are the stories behind the specimens? matching How are specimens labelled? matching Mammal? sorting How were the specimens arranged? flip text Why was a new building needed? Richard Owen archive letters- np How do we know about the past? BM link Who started the collection? Hans Sloane - archive- chocolate link intro Can you help us redesign a gallery? find out more intro- the great move activity Title V3

Planning

5. When Timescale initial ideas (scope for audience input/front end evaluation here) check with relevant departments- curation/archives, learning, press and marketing, learning, external copyright etc. Generate content Input to software platform Review – internal departments edit Review again publish Evaluate- in house/external advertise maintain- e.g. review figures, respond to comments competitions as a means to raise profile

Timescale

initial ideas (scope for audience input/front end evaluation here)

check with relevant departments- curation/archives, learning, press and marketing, learning, external copyright etc.

Generate content

Input to software platform

Review – internal departments

edit

Review again

publish

Evaluate- in house/external

advertise

maintain- e.g. review figures, respond to comments

competitions as a means to raise profile

Evaluation method- videoconferencing

Evaluation method- videoconferencing

Evaluation Mr Shibli: You did actually stretch them, it wasn’t a simple activity which sort of just made them go through the motions without thinking, and some of them, particularly those who were more resilient really benefited from it. Laura: (Hans Sloane) went to Jamaica to find different plants, animals and rocks Sam: he helped with hot chocolate and the making of it Ifeoluwa: I learnt more about fossils, and how to divide up fossils from minerals, vertebrates and invertebrates. I liked the way you moved around the boxes, the sections George: … more games would improve it Todd: I didn’t think there was enough information about everyone in all the links

Mr Shibli: You did actually stretch them, it wasn’t a simple activity which sort of just

made them go through the motions without thinking, and some of them,

particularly those who were more resilient really benefited from it.

Laura: (Hans Sloane) went to Jamaica to find different plants, animals and rocks

Sam: he helped with hot chocolate and the making of it

Ifeoluwa: I learnt more about fossils, and how to divide up fossils from minerals,

vertebrates and invertebrates. I liked the way you moved around the boxes, the sections

George: … more games would improve it

Todd: I didn’t think there was enough information about everyone in all the links

Things we learnt Try out links outside organisation External deadlines can change plans Make the most of linking expertise in different departments Get audience to read text and see which words they don’t understand!

Things we learnt

Try out links outside organisation

External deadlines can change plans

Make the most of linking expertise in different departments

Get audience to read text and see which words they don’t understand!

Questions? Grace Kimble School Programme Developer [email_address] James Hatton Archives Assistant [email_address]

Grace Kimble

School Programme Developer

[email_address]