Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How Museums Made (and Re-made) Their Digital User

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Museums and Digital Culture

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Cultural Computing ((SSCC))

Abstract

Surveying archival material from across fifty years of practice, and leveraging multi-disciplinary theoretical perspectives from digital studies, design studies and disability studies, this chapter uses a form of ideational history, to evidence shifting linguistic habits and frames of reference around the construct of the ‘digital user’, at once both sequential and enduring: from the user as ‘operator’ (set within a system-orientated context of organizational efficiency); to the user as ‘individual’ (amidst priorities of usability and experience design); to—emerging today—the user as ‘actant’ (against which social value and agency are the new indices of success). In these different constructions, the ‘digital user’ moves from being part of the system, to outside system, to in the world, whilst its principal capability shifts from automation, to personalization to empowerment. Crucially, it is proposed here that it has been the role of accessible design (in particular, the design of digital with disability in mind) that has acted both as a key informant and agitator of this change, but also the practice through which this development can most usefully be seen.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Agnew J (2014) By words alone shall we know: is the history of ideas enough to understand the world to which our concepts refer? Dialogues Hum Geogr 4(3):311–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai G, Lindberg L (1999) A sociocybernetic approach to information systems development. Kybernetes 28(67):792–809

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker D, Evans W (2013) The future of digital information provision. In: Baker D, Evans W (eds) Trends, discovery, and people in the digital age. Chandos Publishing, Oxford, pp 1–12

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bearman D (1982) Policy and Planning Issues for Information Resource Management in the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution, Office of Information Resource Management, December 10, 1982. Record Unit 88–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett T, Grossberg L, Morris M (2005) New keywords a revised vocabulary of culture and society. Blackwell Publishing, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowler L, Koshman S, Oh JS, He D, Callery BG, Bowker G, Cox RJ (2011) Issues in user-centered design. LIS Libr Trends 59(4):721–752

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brenner W, Karagiannis D, Kolbe L et al (2014) User, use and utility research: the digital user as new design perspective. Bus Inf Syst Eng 6(1):55–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-013-0302-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The British Museum (2008) Jodi Awards 2008 for excellence in accessible cultural web sites and digital media: nomination form. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron C (2014) Developing an affirmative model of disability and impairment. In: Swain J, French S, Barnes C, Thomas C (eds) Disabling barriers, enabling environment. Sage, Los Angeles, London & New Delhi, pp 24–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Collections Trust (2019) Our aims. https://collectionstrust.org.uk/what-we-do/strategic-aims-2017-22/. Accessed 20 March 2019

  • Delin A (2003) Disability in context. Resource disability portfolio, Guide 1. Resource

    Google Scholar 

  • Disability Arts Online (2009a) Jodi awards 2009 for accessible digital media—nomination form. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Disability Arts Online (2009b). Editorial policy. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Drotner K, Dziekan V, Parry R, Schrøder KC (2019) Media, mediatization and Museums: a new ensemble. In: Drotner K, Dziekan V, Parry R, Schrøder KC (eds) The routledge handbook of Museums, media and communication. Routledge, Abingdon and New York, pp 1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis K, Kent M (2011) Disability and new media. Routledge, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • French S, Swain J (2014) Disability and social inclusion in the information society. In: Swain J, French S, Barnes C, Thomas C (eds) Disabling barriers, enabling environment. Sage, Los Angeles, London & New Delhi, pp 279–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Froeyman A (2014) The words of history. Hist Theor 53(2):244–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frosio G (2012) Communia and the European public domain project: a politics of the public domain. In: De Rosnay MD, De Martin JC (eds) Digital public domain: foundations for an open culture. Open books, pp 3–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Geismar H (2012) Museum + Digital = ? In: Miller D, Horst H (eds) Digital anthropology. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, pp 266–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg F (2012) Disability in the digital age. In: Miller D, Horst H (eds) Digital anthropology. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, pp 101–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Görlach M (2002) A linguistic history of advertising, 1700–1890. In: Fanego T et al (eds) Sounds, words, texts and change: selected papers from 11 ICEHL, vol 2. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Santiago de Compostela. 7–11 Sept 2000

    Google Scholar 

  • Guibault L (2012) Evaluating directive 2001/29/EC in the light of the digital public domain. In: De Rosnay MD, De Martin JC (eds) Digital public domain: foundations for an open culture. Open Books, pp 61–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartley J (2012) Digital futures for cultural and media studies. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Highmore B (ed) (2009) The design culture reader. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Huppatz DJ (2011) the design history reader by Grace Lees-Maffei and Rebecca Houze (eds) design history: understanding theory and method by Kjetil Fallan. Des Cult 3(2):259–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Imperial War Museum Duxford (2009) Jodi Awards 2009 for accessible digital media: nomination form. Audio guide to AirSpace for blind and partially sighted visitors. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Imrie R (2014) Designing inclusive environments and the significance of Universal design. In: Swain J, French S, Barnes C, Thomas C (eds) Disabling barriers, enabling environment. Sage, Los Angeles, London & New Delhi, pp 287–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Jodi Awards (2015) Canadian Museum for human rights. http://jodiawards.org.uk/winners/canadian-museum-for-human-rights/. Accessed 5 Jan 2019

  • Jodi Awards (2017a) National Museums liverpool house of memories. http://jodiawards.org.uk/winners/national-museums-liverpool-house-of-memories/. Accessed 5 Jan 2019

  • Jodi Awards (2017b) Signly: winner 2017 Jodi awards. http://jodiawards.org.uk/winners/signly-winner-2017-jodi-awards/. Accessed 5 Jan 2019

  • Jodi Mattes Trust (2018) Jodi awards: about us. http://jodiawards.org.uk/about/. Accessed 5 Jan 2019

  • Jones CE (2010) Cartographic theory and principles. In: Haklay M (ed) Interacting with geospatial technologies, Wiley-Blackwell, pp 37–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein KL (2011) From History to theory. University of California Press, Berkeley, Calif., & London

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight J (2011) User centred design. ITNOW 53(5):10–11. https://academic.oup.com/itnow/article-abstract/53/5/10/474463. Accessed 5 Jan 2019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunert T (2009) User-centered interaction design patterns for interactive digital television applications. Springer-Verlag, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lagerkvist A (2017) Existential media: toward a theorization of digital thrownness. New Media Soc 19(1):96–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lytle R (1981) Recommendations for development of information resources at the Smithsonian Institution. Unpublished internal report. Smithsonian Institution, USA, June 1981. SI Archives, pp 88–173

    Google Scholar 

  • McCormick EM (1960) Digital computers: their history, operation and use. In: Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. US Government Printing Office, Washington DC, pp 281–299

    Google Scholar 

  • The National Archives (2007) Jodi Awards 2007 for excellence in accessible Museum, library and archive technology–nomination form. Prisoner 4099. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • The National Trust (2008) Jodi Awards 2008 for excellence in accessible cultural web sites and digital media: nomination form. The Virtual Tour Project. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes J, Baber C (1999) User-centred design of systems. Springer, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Outside In Pathways (2008) Jodi Awards 2008 for accessible digital media: nomination form. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Parry R (2013) The end of the beginning: normativity in the postdigital Museum. Mus Worlds 1:24–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parry R (2018a) The Jodi Awards as a prism of accessible digital culture. In: E-accessible culture, G3ict (Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communications Technologies) Business Case White Paper Series. G3ict. http://www.braillenet.org/wp-content/uploads/white_paper_braillenet_2018.pdf. Accessed 5 Jan 2019

  • Parry R (2018b) Socially purposeful digital skills. In: Malde S, Kennedy A (eds) Connecting digital practice with social purpose. Let’s get real 6. Culture24, Brighton, pp 34–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrie H, King N, Hamilton F (2005) Accessibility of Museum library and archive websites: the MLA Audit. City University

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrøder KC (2013) From dogmatism to open-mindedness? historical reflections on methods in audience reception research. Commun Rev, 16(1):40–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/10714421.2013.757485

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scope (2009) Jodi Awards 2009 for accessible digital media: nomination form. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon A (2014) The future of disability studies. In: Swain J, French S, Barnes C Thomas C (eds) Disabling barriers, enabling environment. Sage, Los Angeles, London , pp 326–333

    Google Scholar 

  • Smithsonian Institution (1982) Automatic Data Processing: planning, ordination and implementation, Internal Planning Report (7 December 1982), SI Archive Accession A88-173 Box 1

    Google Scholar 

  • Smithsonian Institution (1984) Request for comment on the Smithsonian Collection Information System (1984). SI Archives Accession 01-132, Box 2, Folder 25

    Google Scholar 

  • Squires DP (1969) An information storage and retrieval system for biological and geological data: the first 19 months. Smithsonian Institution Interim Report submitted to US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Education, Bureau of Research (January 1969), project no. 7-1159

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuedahl D, Morrison A, Mörtberg C, Bratteteig T (2010) Researching digital design. In: Wagner I, Bratteteig T, Stuedahl D (eds) Exploring digital design: multi-disciplinary design practice. London, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, New York, Springer

    Google Scholar 

  • Szathmáry E, Számadó S (2008) Being human: language: a social history of words. Nature 456(7218):40–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thackray Museum (2008) Jodi Awards 2008 for excellence in accessible cultural web sites and digital media—nomination form. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Tate (2006) Jodi Awards 2006 for the most accessible Museum, library and archive websites–nomination form. i-Map: The everyday transformed. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyne and Wear (2005) Jodi Mattes Web Accessibility Awards 2005 for Museums, libraries, archives and heritage sites: nomination form. Discovery Museum, ‘Imagine’ website. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust. Tyne and Wear Museums, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Vennemann T (2002) Key issues in English etymology. In: Fanego T et al (eds) Sounds, words, texts and change: selected papers from 11 ICEHL, vol. 2. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Santiago de Compostela. 7–11 Sept 2000

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wakefield Library and Information Service (2006) Jodi Awards 2006 for the most accessible Museum, library and archive websites: nomination form. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisen M (2008) Putting cultural equality of disabled people back on the agenda: Open letter to government, government agencies, disabled people, disability organisations and cultural organisations. Presented to designing for disability: digital media in context. British Museum, London. 5 Dec 2008

    Google Scholar 

  • Wickberg D (2001) Intellectual history vs. the social history of intellectuals. Rethinking Hist 5:383–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams R (2013) Keywords: a vocabulary of culture and society. Routledge Revivals, Abingdon, Oxon

    Google Scholar 

  • Willis A (2008) Design Unlimited—Reviews of The Design Culture Reader (ed. Ben Highmore) and Design Dictionary: Perspectives on Design Terminology (eds. Michael Erloff and Tim Marshall). Design Philosophy Papers, 6(2), pp. 157–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Windsor and Maidenhead (2005) Jodi mattes web accessibility awards 2005 for Museums, libraries, archives and heritage sites: nomination form. ‘Webwords’ project. Library and Information Services. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolverhampton Arts and Museum Service (2007) Jodi Awards 2007 for excellence in accessible Museum, library and archive technology—nomination form. Bantock House project, Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

  • York Archaeological Trust (2009) Jodi Awards 2009 for accessible digital media: nomination Form. Policy on access. Archive of the Jodi Mattes Trust

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to several international events that kindly allowed me to share and review early versions of all (or part) of this paper within supportive settings, specifically: the 11th European e-Accessibility Forum, Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, Paris (June 2017); ‘Museum 2017: New Technology in Museums’, the Chinese Association of Museums, Taipei City, Taiwan (October 2017), and ‘Researching Digital Cultural Heritage—International Conference’, Manchester (November 2017). Thanks also go to the staff at the Smithsonian Institution Archives (Washington DC) for their help, particularly Pamela Henson (Historian, Institutional History).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Ross Parry

Authors
  1. Ross Parry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ross Parry .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information, Pratt Institute, New York, USA

    Tula Giannini

  2. School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK

    Jonathan P. Bowen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Parry, R. (2019). How Museums Made (and Re-made) Their Digital User. In: Giannini, T., Bowen, J. (eds) Museums and Digital Culture. Springer Series on Cultural Computing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97457-6_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97457-6_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-97456-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-97457-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation