Thread by @SheilaABrennan

Hi, I’m Sheila Brennan! I’m a public historian, formerly the Director of Strategic Initiatives @chnm, where I collaborated on digital public history projects, some I’ll talk about today. #NCPH2020 #s59 1/

Museums & culture heritage orgs have a long history of integrating new media w/in their onsite interpretation & in 1950s, began using handheld devices. 1st audio tour was a radio broadcast @ Stedelijk Museum (NED). Visitors listened to a tour w/small receivers. #NCPH2020 #s59 2/

In the US, 1st portable interpretative audio tour, was the Guide-a-Phone dev’d for American Museum of Nature of History @AMNH in 1954 [IMG: Rota, Alex J. (photographer), “Guide-a-phone, 1954,” AMNH Research Library] #NCPH2020 #s59 3/

@AMNH Other sites jumped on this new means for guiding visitors, incl, an audio tour of FDR’s @NPS_HydePark narrated by Eleanor Roosevelt & Phoenix Museum of Art @pxart tour by Vincent Price. These are still avail in art museums today.
[IMG: Headshot of Price] #NCPH2020 #s59 4/

Let’s leap to 2008: Report by @PewInternet & American Life Project pewresearch.org/internet/ predicts by 2020 mobile devices will be primary tool for accessing the Web for most people in the world.
Here we are!
IMG: Pew Internet & Tech
#NCPH2020 #s59 5/
@dpmckenzie @dmilowski

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski Back in ‘08, more than 75% of US adults owned mobile phones. Mobile dev was advancing rapidly (1st iPhone '07). Most websites weren’t designed for small screens & were difficult to use on flip phones & Blackberries
IMG: photo of an orange Blackberry #NCPH2020 #s59 6/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski A @PewInternet recent survey finds 96% of Americans own a cell, 81% own smartphones, up from 35% in 2011. pewresearch.org/internet/fact-….

Globally, mobile use grows. But, gaps remain in developing countries in device ownership, network strength, & reliability. #NCPH2020 #s59 7/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski Culture heritage orgs want to reach & interact w/ their visitors where they are & on the platforms & devices they use.

Many orgs design experiences for interaction on handhelds.

Remember when big institutions built major online exhibits in Flash? #NCPH2020 #s59 8/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski Going/Being mobile in some form is a must (IMHO).

Choosing how & what to do depends on your community’s needs, your interpretative goals, & capacity. #NCPH2020 #s59 9/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski In 2008-9, I collaborated with @sharonmleon, @davlester, & @dhaordione to research the state of the field in mobile interpretation & adoption in museums, + we prototyped a place-based mobile web walking tour. For more on our research: rrchnm.org/labs/mobile-fo…
#NCPH2020 #s59 10/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski @sharonmleon @davlester We recommended:
-Cross-platform mobile web development;
-Avoiding building apps, unless relying on the native capability of the device;
-Avoiding developing content-rich materials siloed or stuck in proprietary platforms, or that can’t be reused.
#NCPH2020 #s59 11/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski That research informed decisions @sharonmleon & I made to build for the mobile web, rather than an app when designing Histories of the National Mall for interpreting the changing landscapes of the National Mall.
[IMG: View of Capitol & Canal, 1860s, LOC]
#NCPH2020 #s59 12/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski Tourists, carrying diff devices, were the primary audience for mallhistory.org
We wanted to offer interpretation where there was little & to contextualize the site's history. For ppl w/o a smartphone, it was discoverable on the web. [IMG: historical map layers] #NCPH2020

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski A secondary audience was our community of public historians and cultural heritage professionals, seeking ways to economically build their own placed-based mobile history site.
We built it in free & open software (@omeka), & released the theme & plugin code.
#NCPH2020 #s59 14/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski @omeka The team co-authored a free online guide, "Building Histories of the National Mall" & documented planning, interpretation, UX & design, testing, & outreach: mallhistory.org/Guide
[IMG: screenshot of the project team] #NCPH2020 #s59 15/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski Considering developing a mobile-based experience?
Know why & whom it is for; how it supports & serves your mission, your community.
Do audience research. Check your budget, & your technical capacity. Perhaps read this piece by @cdilly
colleendilen.com/2017/04/05/are… #NCPH2020 #s59 16/

@dpmckenzie @dmilowski @cdilly Thanks for your time today, friends.

I’ll gladly take some questions, now or later.

Next up, my colleague, @dpmckenzie
#NCPH2020 #s59 17/17