Museums and Digital Media: Innovation, Engagement and Practice: A Report of the Museums, Crisis and Covid-19 Project

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it significant changes to working and living practices. This report draws upon the research considering digital adaptation and adoption by museums during the Covid-19 pandemic, undertaken by the UKRI funded Museums Crisis and Covid-19, Ulster University. Given the importance of its work as a measure of change, this report is structured to respond to the four ‘top digital priorities for the next three years’ as detailed in the Digital Attitudes and Skills for Heritage (DASH) survey (Newman et al. 2022)

Based at Ulster University Museums, Crisis, Covid-19: Vitality and Vulnerabilities is a UKRI Rapid Response project (AH/V012819/1) focusing on how museums can contribute to community resilience and wellbeing in a time of crisis. It addresses sector adaptability as it adjusts audience engagement and collaboration (such as new collecting practices, programming and exhibitions) in response to Covid-19. Going forward, this project will lead and inform the sector as it adapts to effective community-digital possibilities that still embraces new thinking in participation and engagement. Alongside this, the project will evaluate how we adapt our practices to be mindful of audience diversity, digital poverty, and the isolation challenges for vulnerable audiences arising from Covid-19.