Why Create an Online Exhibit?

Last week I reviewed an online exhibit, Manifold of Greatness. Overall I thought the exhibit to be well assembled and informative. Reviewing this exhibit made me think about online exhibits more thought than I previously had and as a result I have decided to discuss them in this blog post. Specifically, I will be discussing why one should create an online exhibit and their potential.

Online exhibits are becoming more common and are associated with both museums and archives. An online exhibit can be a stand-alone exhibit (not related to a pre-existing physical exhibit) or it can complement an exhibit currently in existence at a museum or archive. For the purpose of today’s blog post I will be focusing on online exhibits that are an extension of a physical exhibit.

Physical exhibits created by a museum or archive, that displays and explains all of or pieces of a collection are valuable and interesting. But they are bound by the limitations of physical space. This is where and online exhibit can be useful. An online exhibit is not restricted by physical space in the traditional sense (though there can be data restrictions depending on what kind of website you are using), whereas a physical exhibit can only accommodate so many artifacts and can only include minimal text or the exhibit will risk being clunky.

Another upside to creating an online exhibit is accessibility. Perhaps a museum that is located several hours away is putting on an exhibit of medieval tapestries. You are very interested in this subject and want to learn more about this collection. Unfortunately you have neither the time not the resources to go see this exhibit. In such a situation online exhibits can be extremely useful. Knowing that not all those who are interested in the exhibit may be able to attend, the host institution can create an online exhibit that complements the physical one. Therefore the medieval tapestry enthusiast may not receive the same experience as one would by seeing the collection in person, but can access an (often free) alternative.

As stated above the online exhibit is useful as it transcends physical restrictions while also increasing accessibility to a collection. But does that mean that online exhibits should be an exact replica of the physical exhibit? Though some may argue otherwise, I believe that an online exhibit should not mimic the original, but rather complement it.

An online exhibit should be an extension of the physical exhibit and should take advantage of the lack of physical boundaries that the online medium provides. An aim for an online exhibit is to not only attract those who could not make it to see the physical exhibit, but also those who attended the physical exhibit and wish to learn more. Therefore the online exhibit can include more in-depth information and pictures of additional collection pieces that may have been too fragile to put on display. With technology ever progressing there are new techniques, such as 3D imaging, that can allow an online exhibit to be more intriguing and informative that ever before. 

Online exhibits are a valuable project for both archivists and curators to help show their collection and the expand upon the traditional exhibit.

Some examples of good online exhibits:

Queen Victoria's Scrapbook

War of 1812 Exhibit

The Burgess Shale