The French Federation of Societies of Friends of Museums convened a meeting of young museum advocates in Paris to explore the integration of new technologies in museums, targeting the 18-35 age group. Participants shared experiences and ideas for innovative digital practices, such as virtual tours, mobile guides, and interactive content. The group aims to leverage their findings to enhance museum engagement and facilitate communication among young friends of museums across Europe.

1. MEETING OF YOUNG FRIENDS OF
EUROPEANS MUSEUMS - FFSAM
Fédération française des sociétés d’amis de musées
BUZZEUM Consultants – Diane DRUBAY
24 – 27 octobre 2009
THE FACTS Recognizing that museums operate more and more with new technologies into their
strategies of diffusion, of communication, of democratization, and of diversification of theirs publics,
the French. Federation of Societies of Friends of Museums has decided to get involved in these practices
to
on development. New technologies in museums provide new ways to transmit knowledge, to disseminate
culture, catching the 18/35 year, to share with visitors, communicating about cultural programming or to
retain the audience. The young audience of 18 to 35 years is most affected by new technologies and less
easy to capture in our museums, so it seemed natural to use the network of associations of friends of
museums in Europe to better understand the relationship young people have with museums and new
technologies.
The clash of cultures and experiences brought us advice and constructive criticism and innovative.
The practices of new technologies are various in European museums, but everyone has to learn from
their experiences. Learn from others, share and put up new digital cultural projects.
.
THE MEETING In last October, we had a three days meeting in Paris, where a dozen young friends of
museums in Europe gathered to explore new digital practices of museums, talking to museum
professionals or new technologies for visit unique places in Paris and thinking about digital solutions to
create. The meeting was a European one with young from Italy, Belgium, Lithuania, Germany, United
Kingdom, Spain and France.
Thus, we were confronted with problems inherent in a private museum with a heavy administration
ed
(Musée de la Poste), a sculpture museum with multiples exhibition spaces and a unique historical context
(Musée Bourdelle), a space confined and fragile to visit (Cour des Cer at Versailles), a royal garden with
Cerfs
inhuman dimensions and historical references (Gardens of Versailles), or a museum
museum-studio artist who has
not changed since a century and offering very reduced rooms to visit (Musée Gustave Moreau). We also
tested the introduction of new technologies in museums like at Versailles or Musée de La Poste At each
roduction Poste.
visit, we interact with professionals of museum and new media to make a study of each museum and
identify its problems and give some new solutions using new technologies.
Ideas are born from our experiences and debates like offering virtual tours of the museum or a private
room, give a free audio guide, enrich the visit on mobile or iPhone and prepare it at home, submit
videos, audio commentary or entertainment on the Internet or
mobile to learn more, enrich the in situ visit with virtual reality, provide audio or video appropriate to
in-situ
different public (young families, tourists, etc…), receive comments from the visitors, make the trail of
visitors enriched with unique and personalized content (Bluetooth sensors), propose a dynamic virtual
d
guide to accompany us throughout our visit by providing enriching multimedia reviews (iPhone app),
enrich the visit by providing level of detail eye can’t see (ultra zoom, web radio, etc
(ultra-zoom, etc..), etc.
AND NOW? The thoughts and ideas are now open to allow Friend of museum to appropriate projects
based on new technologies and develop new ways of seeing their role in the museum’s life.
The young friends of museums have been created a group on Facebook to exchange ideas, give advice
ave Facebook
and set up projects around new technologies.