collections trust mdo briefing day: robert taylor
DESCRIPTION
A presentation given by consultant Robert Taylor at the Collections Trust Briefing Day for Museum Development Officers in London on 23 November 2009TRANSCRIPT
MUSEUMS AND ICT SUPPORT
Robert TaylorMuseums and Heritage Consultant
Museums and ICT Support
Review of an ICT support project in the south east
ICT support resources
ICT Support Project
Project running over the last 2 years in the south east
Renaissance South East, with SCIP providing the ICT support
55 museums involved Project had two main elements:
• ‘Healthcheck’ visit to the museum premises
• Training
Healthcheck
Inspection of museums ICT systems Initial advice and on-site problem
solving Structured report, with risk
assessment and needs identified Follow up work: technical support or
other advice
Training
3 courses as full days across the region
PC self defence Get the most from your computer Museums and the web
Lessons Learned: Process
MDOs need to be involved at a very early stage to engage museums
Museums were initially suspicious of outside inspection, but found it useful
Good liaison between MDOs and ICT support provider is required
Training is difficult to organise Variable skills levels made the ‘Museums
and the web’ course more problematic
Lessons Learned: About museums and ICT
Simple problems but no knowledge about how to solve them
Lack of knowledge about where to get resources and help
Lack of robust ICT support Weak password security and poor back-up
routines Limited understanding of the implications of
the Data Protection Act
Overall – a lack of suitable ongoing ICT support for many museums
Benefits
Real improvements for some museums
Increased confidence for staff and volunteers
Raised awareness of the importance of ICT within museums
Could be used as model for other regions
Resources 1Collections Link www.collectionslink.org.uk
Digital Services for the Cultural Sector [DiSCS] www.discs-uk.info
ICT Knowledgebase
www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk Suppliers Directory
www.suppliersdirectory.org.uk
Publications www.icthub.org.uk/publications
Resources 2
IT 4 Communities www.it4communities.org.uk
Charity Technology Exchange
www.ctx.org.uk
AbilityNet www.abilitynet.org.uk
SCIP www.scip.org.uk
Information Commissioner’s Office www.ico.gov.uk
Robert TaylorMuseums and Heritage Consultant
T. +44(0)1798 839580 M. +44(0)7941 381378
www.rstconsult.co.uk