The digital revolution has dramatically changed museums by facilitating online access to collections and virtual interaction beyond physical walls. This allows museums to preserve fragile artifacts, raise awareness of lesser known collections, and reach a global audience both physically and virtually. Digital tools also help museums share knowledge, bridge information gaps, and stimulate interest in visiting physically.

1. Digital
Revolution
in Museums
Kamani Perera
Sri Lanka
Martin Wickramasinghe Museum of Folk
Culture, Koggala, Sri Lanka
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

2.  Digital revolution has
made dynamic
change in museums
in the recent past
with the dawn of
information
communication
technologies in the
21st century.
Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

3.  Museums face new
challenge to provide
efficient service to the
wider community
while enhancing the
human interaction
with the new
technologies.
 Museums have
created golden age of
opportunity for
everyone who access
information.

4.  Physical places
makes us see
things in new ways
 Buildings are not
just buildings,
streets are not just
streets – they carry
stories(Sandvik,
n.d).
Bibliothek Museum, Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

5.  They carry cultural
meaning which
audiences through the
interplay between
physical locations
 Mobile media may
acquire, discuss,
investigate and relate
to in playful and
creative ways
(Sandvik, n.d). Bibliothek Museum, Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

6.  Users can
freely move
around in
museums while
consulting
detailed
multimedia
content such
as video,
audio, images
on various
artifacts.
Bibliothek Museum – Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

7.  Museum is an
inviting place for
effective learning.
 It connects human
experience, culture,
history, science and
art via its objects.
Bibliothek Museum, Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

8.  People can share
information, learn
more; make
decisions due to this
digital revolution.
 Museums are the
places where we can
preserve our material,
digital objects and
link us with our
history.
Kitchen Utensils, Bibliothek Museum
Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

9.  It promotes human
curiosity, empathy,
tolerance and
understanding.
 It supports human
brains to acquire
skills such as critical
thinking, problem
solving and
information literacy.
Natural History Museum, Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

10.  It plays a vital role to
provide critical
learning experience
by making accessible
to its objects virtually.
 Therefore, museums
can be defined as an
audience oriented,
multi-directional
place where we
preserve tangible
and digital objects.
Martin Wickramasinghe Museum of Folk
Culture, Koggala, Sri Lanka
Photograph by Kamani Perera

11.  Digitizatio
n can
allow
museums
to
preserve
their rare
and fragile
material
and
facilitates
to access
those
materials
Bibliothek Museum, Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

12.  Not only that,
lesser known
museums can
raise awareness of
their collections in
a way never before
possible.
 More prominent
museums can
benefit from
digitization by
providing virtual
access to the
Bibliothek Museum, Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

13.  Digital revolution
facilitated online
access of
museum objects,
images and
records attracting
more audience
virtually as well
as physically and
reaching out
millions and
millions of people
who cannot visit
Natural History Museum, Gorlitz, Germany physically.
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

14.  New technologies
have dramatically
changed the
traditional concept
of museums by
facilitating to
interact with the
community beyond
their physical
walls.
Natural History Museum, Gorlitz, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

15.  Digital revolution
helps to
decreases the
knowledge gap by
increasing the
opportunities for
participation,
entertainment and
motivation.
Military History Museum – Dresden, Germany
(Photograph by Kamani Perera)

16.  Museums are rich
in genuine
content,
knowledge stuff.
Military History Museum – Dresden, Germany
(Photographs by Kamani Perera)

17.  Digital
revolution
facilitates to
reveal the
hidden stories
of the museum
artefacts.
Vasco Da Gama’s Coffin, Lisbon, Portugal
Photograph by Kamani Perera

18.  Museums stimulate
people’s hearts and
they feel more and
more closer to the
museum
environment.
 Once they visited
virtually, they really
feel to visit the
location physically.
Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal
Photograph by Kamani Perera

19.  People can access
museum collection
via social media
tools and at the
same time they
can share their
stories.
 That helps to
bridge the gap
between
information rich
and information
poor by reaching
Martin Wickramasinghe Museum of Folk
Culture, Koggala, Sri Lanka
Photograph by Kamani Perera

20. Thanks to Digital Revolution
We share our stories online and first we
make virtual visits to museums
worldwide and then make it physical.
Thank You
Yes, of course we are lucky
spirits from Sri Lanka who
get the maximum benefit
from Digital revolution in
Martin Wickramasinghe Museum of Folk Culture, Koggala,Sri Lanka
Photograph by Kamani Perera
Museums.