Three projects to examine the impact of Covid-19 on digital heritage
Geraldine Kendall Adams @Gkendall 2 February 2021
Three research projects have received funding to explore how the public are engaging with heritage virtually during the pandemic and what lessons can be learnt for future digital provision in the sector.
The projects have been awarded £310,000 from Towards a National Collection (TaNC), a five-year programme that aims to establish a virtual national collection by supporting pioneering research. TaNC is funded by UK Research & Innovation and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
The three digital projects were selected as part of the programme’s Urgency Call to provide critical and time-sensitive evaluation of the digital practice undertaken by museums during Covid.
Announcing the funding boost, TaNC said that the Covid lockdowns had opened up a “vital research agenda” that would provide insight into how people have been interacting with collections online at a time when digital access is the only way that museums can engage audiences.
It said: “These TaNC Urgency projects will help provide much-needed guidance on how cultural institutions can engage with virtual users as well as being better prepared for digital access in general. Building on data collected during the first lockdown, the projects will analyse the effectiveness and reach of digital collections and advise on solutions to the digital divide between large and small collection institutions.”
SOURCE: Geraldine Kendall Adams
VIA: museumsassociation.org
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