In the previous post I promised to talk about which internet resources can help prepare for a museum visit.
They can be divided into two large groups:
• those belonging to the museum: the website where official information is presented, groups and channels on social networks, the page on Yandex.Maps;
• third-party resources, for example sites where the museum may be featured in lists, personal blogs, news outlets.
Today we'll talk about official museum resources. These are the main sources of verified and reliable information about a museum.
However, they have their peculiarities, one of which is navigation that is not always clear. Yes, some museum websites have such complex structures that even experienced users can get lost in them.
Usually visitor information is located in sections like "For visitors"/"Plan your visit". At the same time the section may include a dozen separate pages (for example, "Opening hours" and "Ticket prices"). This is not very convenient. Especially PDF files with information about ticket prices and concessions. Sometimes it's easier to call the museum than to find something on the website 😊
By the way, sections/pages for families are still rare. More often you can see sections called "For children", which present information about individual and group visits.
At the same time a museum website can become a useful tool for organizing educational activities with children.
How? Thanks to a variety of digital content that can be used to prepare school homework, games and fun activities with children.
During the pandemic museums actively moved to online formats, gaining experience and digital products.
Here are a few examples.
This is a video from the Tsaritsyno State Museum-Reserve about what a museum-reserve is.
The State Historical Museum launched a special portal for parents and children. At kids.shm.ru you can find games, video tours, podcasts and a special section for schoolchildren.
You can assemble a puzzle from fragments of photos of the museum's exhibits.
The State Russian Museum offers an online course "Me and the Painting"; here is how it is described on the website:
"Me and the Painting" is a course-journey that introduces the masterpieces of the Russian Museum, which houses the largest collection of Russian art in the world. With the "Me and the Painting" course you can travel through the halls of the Mikhailovsky Palace, where the museum's main exhibition is located.
The course contains 16 videos ranging from 3 to 25 minutes. They are all collected on the course page.
How to learn about such digital projects? A reliable way is to subscribe to the museums you're interested in on social networks and turn on notifications for their posts.
How to learn about such digital projects? A reliable method is to follow the museums you're interested in on social networks and turn on post notifications.
Today being active on social networks is essential for museums (there is even a nationwide project called Gospublik), so every day you can see stories about exhibits, announcements of exhibitions and programs, and behind-the-scenes museum stories in your feeds.
Some museums publish podcasts, informative clips, and hold live broadcasts. For example, staff at the Biological Museum host streams called "Ask a Biologist".
The Darwin Museum has an excellent popular science channel on YouTube.
It is important that VKontakte and Odnoklassniki support museums by helping promote content. A vivid example is broadcasts of selected events from the nationwide "Night of Museums" campaign. This year it will take place on May 18.
If you want to get an impression of a museum through the eyes of other visitors, I suggest reading reviews on Yandex.Maps. In reviews you can find non-obvious (and often useful) recommendations and see photos of the spaces and exhibits. By the way, after visiting a museum you can also write a review, including on social networks. Visitors' impressions, recommendations and tips help in promoting museums.
