JISCMail - MCG Archives

Firstly, as a relative newcomer to the group, can you let me know where I can find published material / information about previous MCG meetings?

I, too, am very interested in working with a group focussing on museums and the web. At present I maintain an information website for Fife Museums Forum

The website was set up about three years ago and provides information about local authority and independent museums in Fife. Museums without internet facilities have more detailed information included - current exhibitions etc. As more museums set up their own websites, we only include basic information - opening times, access etc. and link to their websites from our pages.

I think we provide a useful information board for what's on in museums in Fife, but I am also aware that we are only dipping our toes in the enormous ocean of potential that is the internet. I am very interested in exploring the possibility of making more and more of our collections accessible via the internet and would like to discuss all aspects of this with other museum people. I find that I have colleagues who think that supplying contact address and numbers, opening times, etc. is enough. I would like to find museum people who are keen to push forward and really use the internet as another tool for increasing access to museums.

I am planning to do a couple of courses on web design and database construction which are run by local colleges as business training, and I am also keen to explore interactive teaching to bring myself up to date with today's available technology.

I feel that if I could demonstrate the potential of the internet to my colleagues more vividly, I would stand a better chance of persuading them to maximise our use of it. As a newcomer and beginner, I would be very happy to be part of a group interested in promoting the use of the internet in museums.

I can see a need for practical advice, research into effectiveness, and coordination of integration with schools curricula amongst other things. In many respects, area-based coordination is extremely important.

There is already a great deal of expertise within museums. Perhaps an initial step would be to draw up a list of people willing to act as advisors to museums just starting out. Please excuse me if this type of thing is already in existence. As I explained at the beginning, I am a newcomer to the group and feel a bit like I'm clutching on to the end of a long conga dance line!