A knowledge-oriented view of web technology adoption in museums

Interactive multimedia technology and the world wide web play an increasingly central role in the work of cultural organizations especially when they begin to embark on creation of new information resources, public outreach and online catalogue projects. Recent reports clearly indicate the high desire (or intention) of most museums to join the web. There are three primary reasons: (i) the high popularity of the technology among museum audiences (ii) the relatively low investment requirements, and (iii) the purported benefits that can be derived. Despite the excitement associated with web technology, it has become clear that its adoption is not as straight forward as many assumed it would be. This paper provides an overview of web application in museums and presents the main knowledge barriers obstructing web technology adoption. Furthermore, it discusses possible approaches for facilitating the process of creating the knowledge required for resolving these barriers. Rather than offering a comprehensive solution, this paper aims at gaining a broader understanding of the knowledge intensive problems facing museums and web professionals alike. Index terms – virtual museum, web application development, enterprise knowledge modeling, cultural information metadata standards