Several definitions of museum abound and have evolved over the years. From the Greek word “Museion” which implies “a sanctuary dedicated to the muses of Greek mythology, “to its recent definitions of an “institution for research, teaching, exhibition and conservation”(Encyclopedia Americana, 1964). By August 2007, ICOM came up with a definition of museum which states that:
“A museum is a non-profit permanent institution in the service of the society and its development, open to the public which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purpose of education, study and enjoyment.”
This definition not only covers the functions of a museum but its activities in partnership with the society particularly focusing on its development. This definition has been under review and is being redefined. However,a new definition came to light this year after a general conference in Prague on 24th of August, 2022, during ICOM extraordinary General Assembly. This new definition of museum states:
“A museum is a not-for-profit,permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage open to public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethnically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.”
This
new definition unlike the former emphasizes on accessibility, inclusivity,
diversity and sustainability which are necessary requirements when talking
about a virtual museum. Over the years various types of Museums have evolved
with societal development like Art Museum, Maritime Museum, open Air museum (Eco
Museum), Technology Museum, Transport Museum and Virtual Museum just to mention
a few.
A
Virtual Museum refers to a digital museum which exists to “complement, enhance,
or augment the museum experience through personalization, interactivities and
richness of content. Virtual Museums can perform as a digital footprint of
physical museum or can act independently, while maintaining the authoritative
status as bestowed by the international council of museums (ICOM) in its
definition of museum”.
A Virtual Museum can give unrestricted access to collections in the traditional museum which would have been locked up in the store due to their not being among the exhibited collections. This access enables the collections to receive the same attention by visitors in various forms either in world-wide web or 3D content. Imagine how collections in difference states of the Country can be assessed at the same time. Virtual museum can be centered on specific content or collections around related matters,i.e., collections of items on slavery centered on the theme slave trade and its impact on the black man.
Due to its flexible nature, Virtual Museums play a role in enhancing personal experience and interpretation of collections. The role of the Education unit in giving apt and adequate information on each collection cannot be overemphasized. Thus, having a Virtual Museum as part of our traditional museum will go a long way in rekindling visitor’s interest on not only our permanent exhibition but collections that may not be on display for a long time. Collections of such communicates to the individual, guides interpretation and gives a visitor room to understand the collections properly before making his own interpretations or conclusions.
Consequently, this leads the individual or visitor to interact with the collections at his or her own pace. This brings about fulfilling one of the functions of the museum which is communication between the museum visitor and collections through exhibition. Ezeokeke (2018:35) sees communication being expressed through the museum exhibits;either permanent or temporary. Interactivity between visitors and collections virtually increases the traffic flow on the digital space which results in creating more awareness and popularity of the collections. This means that more visitors are drawn to the museum which complements the traditional museum visit to physical museums. The national museums in Nigeria can key into this, by providing virtual museums to complement the physical visitations to museums.
Due to the COVID-19 in 2020, visits to museums were restricted or impossible. However, with virtual museum in place, visitors can have unrestricted access to the museum and are not constrained by location or distance. Also, another factor that can restrict visitors is insecurity. The insecurity in some states of the Country especially the North West, North East and some Southern States have had negative impact on tourism and visitors to the museums. Most foreigners who would have visited the museum in some of the affected states would have made do with virtual museums and exhibitions. This invariably shows the role virtual museums can play in our society. Examples of some noted virtual museums are; Virtual Museum of Modern Nigerian Art, Located in Lagos, Virtual Museum of Canada which has over 2500 Canadian Museums, National Portal and Digital Repository for Museums of Indian, Internet Museum Sweden, opened in 2014, International Museum of Women (an online museum for women without a physical building https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_museum
However, establishing a virtual museum comes with its own challenges. Firstly, it is expensive and capital intensive. Therefore, lack of funding may be a challenge for the museum due to paucity of fundfrom the Government. Secondly it requires some level of skills and computer competence to be able to install and access the virtual museums. Thirdly, Virtual Museum can expose the entire buildings of a museums to the extent that it will affect its visitors who want to physically have an experience with the collection of the museum. This will also affect the staff of the museum like the gallery and Education officers who may be rendered redundant. Moreover, there is need for a strong regulation of Virtual Museums so as to prevent them from misinterpreting the ideas that are projected by physical museums.
In conclusion, Virtual Museums are indispensable in these contemporary times to complement physical museums. They play a role in connecting museums and collections all over the world as well as set uniform standard for exhibitions and museum practice. The Museums in Nigeria stand to gain global recognition and cultural appreciation of her collections by being on the “world map” of Virtual Museum.
REFERENCES
Ezeokeke C.N. (2018) Museum Education, Theory and Practice, The Nigerian Experience, Owerri,Kriscona Publishers.
Okpoko A.I. (2006). Fundamentals of Museum Practice, Nsukka, Afro-Orbis Publishing Co. Ltd.
Uboh C.F. (2019). Okpulu, Journal of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Volume2, NO 3, Owerri, Published By NCMM and Nzuko-Okpulo incorporated.
INTERNET
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_museum)
Article By
Mr. Moore Henry Okwudili
Lecturer, Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies, Jos
10 comments:
Brilliant
Thank you so much Mr. Moore for this very informative article. I see a future where Augmented Reality is adopted to further enhance the quality and experience in a Virtual Museum. Although the effects of physically visiting a museum cannot be quantified, the scope of accessibility and reach via virtual means, makes it an invaluable choice.
Nice article, and well articulated.virtual world is our reality and the impact of virtual museums cannot be overemphasised. The world has gone virtual. Well done Henry.
This is so educative, informative and entertaining. Keep it up sir
Virtual museum's would get education officers very busy because objects exhibited most come with informations. So it's wrong to think that virtual museum's would make education officers redundant. Object provenance and other related informations must be attached to each object for a more satisfied viewing.
It's a tasking excercise because it demands discipline and toroughness. It's inevitable the earlier we go digital , the better for the country.
We must take our place in the realm of affairs.
Having virtual museums simple gives visitors an alternative to viewing exibits. It does not affect the visitors who come to the museums. It might even arouse more interest to come to the museum . After viewing virtually one might want to see the object live.Seeing and interacting with an object has a different effect. Education officers have a lot of work to do with the I T staff.
A well written piece. Covid 19 and its resultant worldwide lockdowns has underscored the fact that virtual Museums are now a necessity. A wake up call for Nigeria.
A good article highlighting an important consideration for the advancement of our stories on the global stage. If we are thinking about a presence on the international stage, virtual Museums are a significant part of that conversation. Not only would they help us establish a presence on the International stage, they could become a great tool for reselling and retelling our story to salvage some of the negative press we have received in the past. As noted the in article, they will provide a good opportunity for Nigeria "to gain global recognition and cultural appreciation...."
This is a well thought article which will enlighten people of the importance of virtual museum.
It definitely reduces traffic. Well done Mr Moore my able lecturer.
Interesting article. Another innovative application for modern technology that can help connect us to culture, history and the experiences our forebears had.
But contrary to your fears, I envisage more work for curators keeping up with the demands of assuaging the curiosity of virtual visitors.
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