Collecting the digitalFrom a photographic

perspective

Valtakunnalliset kuva-arkistopäivät Helsinki, 2.-3.11.2015

Kajsa Hartig, Nya medierNordiska museet, Stockholm

1. Digital and Museums2. Nordiska museet3. Collecting in a digital world4. Collectin the Digital

– From a Photographic Perspecive

Photo: Emma Fredriksson, Nordiska museet

• Founded in 1873• Museum building

opened in 1907

DIGITAL AND MUSEUMS Opportunities and challenges100011100001010111000101110011101000111000111000101110

Photo: Kajsa Hartig, Flickr, CC-BY

Photo: Luke Wroblewski, Flickr, CC-BY

Image by: EFF Photos, Flickr, CC-BY

Photo: NASA, Flickr, CC-BY

It’s an audience driven

change

The consumer demand for digital products is there and

continues to evolve

Digital in itself isn’t new

New expectationsNew demands

Pressure to change

Transforming the museum culture, offers,

values and brand

Transforming museum work practice

Transforming museum work practice

f.ex. collecting

NORDISKA MUSEETA New Media Department

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A New Media Strategy in 2010

With dialogue and participation

in focus

A New media department in 2011

MandateBudget

Staff

Enabling a Digital Shift

at the museum

Bridging the analogue work practices with a

digital world

COLLECTINGIn a digital world100011100001010111000101110011101000111000111000101110

A long history of collecting

Collecting objects and photographs Documenting societyRegularly sending surveys since 1920s

#hairriot

2015 Internal report:Collecting the Digital at Nordiska museet

A lot of questions were raised

1) Survey to other museums (mapping)2) Internal discussions

Conclusions – The survery• More than 50 % (16 of 25) use social

media as means to communicate online surveys and collecting efforts

• 7 of 25 do not collect using online tools and channels

Conclusions – The survery• Positive effects from collecting

online is greater outreach, fast and spontaneous initiatives, and digital material in databases can easily be extracted for research

Conclusions – The survery

• Difficult to validate sources• There is a digital divide, not

everyone can participate• Images can be of low quality• Requires social media skills

Conclusions – The report

• Online collecting requires re thinking of what should be collected, how it will be preserved and and how it will be disseminated

Conclusions – The report

Actual collecting or ”just” engaging in dialogue?

#nm_advent #nm_lucia

COLLECTING THE DIGITALFrom a Photographic Perspective100011100001010111000101110011101000111000111000101110

images75 %

Nordiska museet, Nya medier, Kajsa Hartig, 2015-05-27

The web is made up of:

A three (or more) year project starting 2015

PARTICIPANTS:The Finnish Museum of PhotographyNordiska museetStockholm County MuseumAalborg City Archives

The social digital photograph

Photo: Scott Griggs, Flickr, CC-BY-ND

BACKGROUND

Bridging analogue and digital work practices

Legal and ethical issues

Technological challenges and possibilities

Scholarly needs

PROJECT GOALS

To describe and map the role of the photograph collections, current methods and workflows in museums and archives today,

To describe and map the role of social media and social digital photographs in society – how it affects collecting and disseminating of digitally born photographs.

To describe and map and the role of the collecting heritage organisations (as compared to other organisations/companies collecting and disseminating photographs) and how users perceive archives/museums.

Trough research and pilot projects define evolving methods for collecting and disseminating contemporary social digital photographs, in museums and archives.

Thank you!

Kajsa Hartig, @kajsahartigNordiska museetStockholm, Sweden