Technology and Digital Initiatives

Juilee Decker is an associate professor of Museum Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where she teaches courses focusing on museums and technology so as to bring theory and praxis together in the classroom environment. Decker earned her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. Her research interests and curation include the construction of public and private collections as well as the subjects of public art, commemoration, and memory. Decker’s recent curatorial activity includes “A Passionate Pursuit: The Milward Collection,” an exhibition addressing the formation of a private collection of more than 1000 works of art (2012); “Reflections on a Louisville Landmark,” a juried show and an exhibition of historic maps, photographs, and texts for the Louisville Visual Art Association; and “Virginia Woolf and the Natural World,” an international exhibition to coincide with the 20th annual Wolf conference (2010). She has worked as a public art consultant and advisor for more than 15 years and has managed several public and private collections of public art. Since 2008, she has served as editor of Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals, a peer-reviewed journal published by Rowman and Littlefield.

Technology and Digital Initiatives: Innovative Approaches for Museums is a wonderful summation of the state of the museum technology sector, circa 2015. It provides a comprehensive overview of a range of projects both big and small, and should prove to be an indispensable resource for museum veterans and newcomers.

• Introduction by Juilee DeckerChapter 1: A Digital Road Map: Developing & Evaluating Museum-Wide Digital StrategyJane Alexander and Elizabeth Bolander, The Cleveland Museum of ArtChapter 2: Dutch Paintings of the 17th Century: The National Gallery of Art’s First Online Scholarly CatalogueJennifer E. Henel, National Gallery of ArtChapter 3: Embedding a Culture of Innovation at the Frick Art Reference LibraryStephen J. Bury, The Frick CollectionChapter 4: The Ur of Chaldees Project: A Virtual Vision of Woolley’s Excavations at UrGareth Brereton, Duygu Camurcuoglu, Birger Ekornåsvåg Helgestad, and Jonathan Taylor, British MuseumChapter 5: Storytelling Photographs, Animating Anangu: How Ara Irititja—an Indigenous Digital Archive in Central Australia—Facilitates Cultural ReproductionSabra Thorner and John Dallwitz, New York University & Ara Irititja ProjectChapter 6: A Safe Keeping Place: Mukurtu CMS Innovating Museum CollaborationsKimberly Christen, Washington State UniversityChapter 7: Old Meets New: Technology and the Visitor Experience in The Lyons Country StoreNancy E. V. Bryk, Ann Hernandez, and Charles Stout, Ann Arbor Hands-On MuseumChapter 8: Setting the Table for Tablets: Starting Small While Thinking BigHeather Marie Wells, Crystal Bridges Museum of American ArtChapter 9: Engaging Primary Sources through Social Media: A Case Study about World War II’s Monuments Men Collections at the Archives of American ArtRihoko Ueno, Elizabeth Botten, and Kelly Quinn, Archives of American ArtChapter 10: How the Met Museum Approaches Innovation—With Lessons for All Museums, Big & SmallSree Sreenivasan, The Metropolitan Museum of ArtIndexAbout the ContributorsAbout the Editor