The role of small local history museums in creating digital heritage : the Finnish case

The overall objective of this museological research is to investigate the role of small Finnish local heritage museums in creating digital heritage. The research aims are: (1) to provide a critical overview of virtual museums and digital heritage in the Finnish context, particularly in relation to small local history museums; (2) to bring attention to the potential of small museums in the area of digital heritage, and (3) to provide an insight into the shared qualities of digital heritage in small museums in Finland that can be used in future projects in the area of digital heritage in Finland. The research examines the following questions: (1) What are the qualities of the online services and portals providing access to digitised museum resources? (2) What are the types of Finnish virtual museums and how do small museums provide access to cultural heritage? (3) What are the common qualities of digital heritage in small local museums in Finland, and how these commonalities can be used to aid the museum community in improving their visibility and presence on the Internet? In order to answer the research questions and meet the research aims, an exploratory approach was taken. The research is framed within the discipline of museology (Vergo 1989, Vilkuna 2010b), but due to its interdisciplinarity, also methods and approaches from other disciplines such as design, anthropology and action research were deployed. Several separate research activities were planned and carried out: (1) Analysis of portals and services providing access to digitised museum collections; (2) Classification of Finnish virtual museums; (3) Prototyping virtual museum for small Finnish museums; (4) Analysis of digital heritage and small, local museums in Finland, and (5) Ethnographic depiction of representatives of small museums. While the research is mainly concerned with digital heritage and Finnish museums, it also places them in the broader international context. In the results, three scenarios for Finnish virtual museums in relation to small museums are discussed. Finally, the common qualities of digital heritage in small local museums in Finland, and how they can be used in developing online heritage is discussed.