Hello,
We're overall a pretty low-tech museum here in Hampstead (mostly cos we're poor) so until now we've just been using a regular old laptop chained down to a radiator to display audiovisual materials. It's obviously not ideal, but it's worked fine for over a year now- until it was stolen over the weekend!
As it happens I am submitting an application TODAY for a grant from the HLF Your Heritage programme to do an oral history project and exhibition. The exhibition, which would take place in Sept/Oct this year would be built around oral history interviews and would of course involve some form of listening post (or posts) in the gallery space. To be honest we're not the kind of place where we can ask people do download podcasts at home, and as a Grade I listed building our options for building things directly into the gallery space are pretty limited without getting loads of planning permission (and even then, we don't have audio-visual elements to all of our exhibitions, so we need something flexible).
The trustees are investigating CCTV and augmenting our alarm systems, etc, but the biggest issue is that we are unable to have direct invigilation of the gallery space during all of its opening hours; there is always at least one volunteer steward for the building we are in, but they sit on the ground floor and I don't think most would accept the responsibility of (for example) handing out ipods or headsets to individual visitors.
Can anyone give me some quick suggestions and general prices for what sort of options we might consider for in situ listening equipment?
Thanks!
Susan Buhr
Curatorial Assistant
Hampstead Museum at Burgh House
phone: 02074310144
www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk
Please note my usual working days are Wednesday through Friday only.
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