Survey by the Institut für Museumsforschung on the Digital Conveyance of Intangible Cultural Heritage

07.12.2021
Institut für Museumsforschung

As part of the collaborative project museum4punkt0, the Institut für Museumsforschung (Institute for Museum Research) and its subproject "Materialization of the Intangible" are conducting telephone interviews with museums to ask them about their experiences with the digital conveyance of intangible cultural heritage.

The aim is to provide an overview of the formats being used currently to digitally convey intangible cultural heritage in museums. This first stocktaking focuses in particular on the applications’ appeal, mode of operation and impact:

• How are the digital applications designed and what is their acceptance amongst visitors and users?
• How do the users experience the applications and digital conveyance of intangible cultural heritage?
• On which effect levels do the applications reach the user – more emotionally or more cognitively?
• In what ways can users exchange information using the applications? How do they interact?
• And to what extent do the digital applications facilitate participation and involvement in the practice of intangible cultural heritage and museum work?
• Does the use of the digital applications lead to innovations and further developments in the sphere of intangible cultural heritage? 

Quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in the inventory process to collect diverse and meaningful data.

The First Phase: A Telephone Survey

Telephone interviews will be conducted from December 2021 to March 2022. This marks the beginning of the first phase of data collection. This broad survey will provide an overview of the formats of the applications currently in use. In addition, the questions also relate to the conveyance context and the applications‘ interactive and participatory potential. At the end of the project, the collected data will be available in anonymised form on museum4punkt0’s collaborative platform.

The Second Phase: In-Depth Interviews

In the second phase, in-depth interviews will be conducted at selected facilities, especially focusing on the applications’ appeal and their various modes of operation. The results of the telephone surveys and the in-depth interviews will then be evaluated for a good-practice report, with recommendations for action being developed on this basis.

Additional Information and Participation

For further information on how to participate in the survey and in the subproject "Materialization of the Immaterial?", please contact Julie Piesbergen (j.piesbergen[at]smb.spk-berlin.de) and Friederike Berlekamp (f.berlekamp[at]smb.spk-berlin.de).