Is the Museum Going Digital? Experiences from the Websites of Greek Museums

Abstract

Museums are a key factor for the development of (especially cultural) tourism and their online presence has become an important dimension of their operation. The paper studies the efforts of archaeological museums in Northern Greece to adapt to the digital era by deploying the appropriate means and practices, which help them to increase their web presence and to enhance their attractiveness at national or international level. The paper is organized in three parts. First, it discusses the concept of museums’ digitalization and the interaction between tourism and the particular cultural organizations. Then, the paper analyzes the content of selected museums’ websites along particular axes and attempts to provide an insight into the ways through which the particular cultural organizations address the public and try to maintain or to reinforce their relationship with their audiences. Various dimensions of the websites were investigated regarding: the content, organization, format and usability; the availability of information about the provided services; the inclusion of photo/video galleries or hyperlinks; the announcement of thematic exhibitions and cultural activities or events; the provisions for contact/access information and the capacity of interaction with the public. The paper concludes by considering the implications of the findings of the investigation into the museums’ websites and by designating the need for their quality improvement.