Nothing about us without us: Community engagement & participation through culture & technology

Nick Poole, CEO, Collections Trust

These slides online at http://www.slideshare.net/collectionstrust

The Collections Trust is the professional association for people working in collections management

http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk

“Nothing about us, without us”

The Polish ‘Nihil Novi’ Constitution, 1505

The idea that instead of doing things to and for people, we ought

to be doing things with them

It all used to be so simple…

Producers

Producers Consumers

Producers Consumers

Shop window

Producers Consumers

Shop window

PRODUCT

Producers Consumers

Shop window

PRODUCT

PURCHASE

Except it was never really that simple…

I like what I do and I want to keep

doing it…

I like what I do and I want to keep

doing it…

I like what you do and I want you to keep doing it…

“A century or so ago, the local corner shop lived or died on the relationships they built.

As new means of mass communication emerged, companies used their increased reach to try to advertise their way out of that responsibility.

But today every aspect of a company’s behaviour is on public display. Putting the relationship first has

become the imperative again.”

- Scott Olrich, Responsys

SHARED VALUES & BELIEFS

COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

SHARED VALUES & BELIEFS

COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

SUSTAINABLE FLOWS OF VALUE

SHARED VALUES & BELIEFS

Community engagement isn’t some radical new model. Its about

understanding & building on the connection between your venue

and the people who love and support it…

Modern audiences are activist – they get behind campaigns sooner than they get behind organisations.

If your venue were a campaign, what would it be a campaign for?

BRAND

BRAND

LOCATION

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

LEAFLET

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

VISIT

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

EXPERIENCE

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

RELATIONSHIP

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

PARTNERSHIP

BRAND

LOCATION

CONTENT

CULTURE

PURPOSE

CO-CREATION

The point is not that any of these is better than the others, but that you have to be clear about which you

are doing (and mean it…)

Technology adds to the capability of these people

Technology drives

expectations for more of

these people

COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

SUSTAINABLE FLOWS OF VALUE

SHARED VALUES & BELIEFS

Engaging communities

to develop audience

Meeting needs for research &

online engagement

PRE-VISIT VISIT POST-VISIT NO-VISIT

Enhancing & extending the visitor

experience

Sustaining the relationship & driving repeat

visits

Some examples…

“Museums already appreciate their position in their community and many combine this with scholarship, stewardship, learning and a desire for greater participation.

The Happy Museum Project is trying to show that the context is now different. Environmental change, pressures on the planet’s finite resources and awareness that a good, happy society need not set economic growth as it most meaningful measure offers a chance to re-imagine the purpose of museums.

Museums should realise their role as connector, viewing people not as audiences but as collaborators, not as beneficiaries but citizens and stewards who nurture and pass on knowledge to their friends and neighbours.”

Collaborative development

Networking community knowledge

The Happy Museum Project is aiming to put the generation of

social capital through community engagement before the generation

of revenue

Using technology to engage dispersed communities

Museum of Arch & Anth, Cambridge

KIWA is a collaborative project between communities in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil

The project is ‘digitally repatriating’ the lost heritage of Polynesia by identifying material removed by

colonial voyagers, digitising and reinterpreting it and using it to create a collective online archive.

Engaging with Maori communities in the UK & worldwide digitally to ‘repatriate’ & re-interpret removed cultural artefacts

Creating a community-owned digital archive of artefacts and cultural memories lost to Southern Australian tribes through colonialisation

Engaging communities in opening up new knowledge

Credits earn points and prizes:

•Hall of Fame

•Promotion

•Certificate

•Opportunity to manage cases

•Opportunity to blog

•Invitation to our Summer Party

Harnessing the power of an engaged community to research and transcribe diaries from servicemen & women in WW1

Developing a highly engaged online community of taggers and supporters, now being extended into a real-world community

Using ‘low-fi’ technology to engage communities

‘Museum in a Box’ uses a collection of 16 3D printed objects from the British Museum to engage London-based & local communities including schools

and community groups - http://thesmallmuseum.org/museum-in-a-box/

The Brunel Pop-Up Museum in Swindon took over Unit 40/41 of the Brunel Shopping Centre, resulting in increased visitor numbers at the museum

Re-negotiating the terms of our relationship with heritage

audiences is key to remaining relevant & sustainable

Technology & technology-enabled approaches create new

expectations for our communities and new opportunities for us to

engage

Embracing those opportunities depends on taking the initiative,

being creative & getting comfortable with a different kind of

relationship

Thankyou!

Nick Poole

@NickPoole1

www.slideshare.net/collectiontrust