A three day National workshop on ‘Digital Engagement of Museums’ ended today. The workshop was aimed to enable museum professionals from India to hone their digital communication skills. The program highlighted about the design and content of a website, how to use social media like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube effectively, how to improve in-gallery experience of a visitor etc.

On the first day, British trainers Carolyn Royston and Charlotte Sexton highlighted ‘Why digital is important for museums’. In the first half, Carolyn emphasized on ‘Context and Background to digital evolution in museums-Local and Global’, Understanding roles and responsibilities for digital delivery etc. In the second half, Charlotte Sexton advised on different channels of digital delivery like Websites, Mobile, In-Gallery Interactive, Blogs, Social Media etc. She also advised on identification of behaviour and needs of different types of audiences like families, students, enthusiasts, tourists, academics, teachers etc. She later on also elaborated on content development for different segments in a very interesting and engaging manner.

Participant enjoyed the sessions and actively participated in the activities asked by the trainers to do after the session. ‘These activities really helpd us to understand the sessions in a better way’-said Twinkle W. Kharbuli, Curator of Shillong Science Centre.

Carolyn, former head of Digital Media at Imperial War Museum, UK highlighted the art of effective communication on Facebook and Twitter. She taught the ways of tweeting, How to make it appealing to your target people, how to attract more likes on Facebook etc. ‘The sessions were really enlightening for us and we will definitely apply it to our museum what we have learnt here in last three days’ –said N. Shakmacha Singh, Museum Associate of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalay, Bhopal

Charlotte Sexton, former head of Digital Media at National Gallery, London and present President at Museum Computer Network (MCN), UK advised on how to use any platform for promotion of your museum by citing example of #AskACurator program organised recently. She also emphasized about effectiveness of using Hastag (#) with a post or tweet on Facebook and Twitter.

The workshop was organised by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India in collaboration with British Council, India. Museums professional from 33 different museums and science centres of India participated in the workshop. While on one hand participant were from some of the well know museums like Victoria Memorial, Indian Musuem, Kolkata, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, Mumbai, Birla Museum, Pilani, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, on the other hand professionals from Science centres and museums of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar, Mizoram also participated in the workshop.

Smt. Neelima Jerath, Director General, Pushpa Gujral Science City, Chandigarh thanked Shri G.S. Rautela, Director General, NCSM for organising such a relevant workshop for museum professionals of India. On the requests of museum professionals, Shri Rautela promised to organise such relevant workshops, Seminars and Conferences in future also.

Kolkata

24.09.2014