Online collaboration and knowledge dissemination for university collections

Universities and university museums are faced with numerous challenges regarding access to their collections for diverse user communities. In today’s electronic age, a new model has emerged for granting online access to collections. This paper will present some challenges and successes of current solutions in use by Carleton University’s Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study Aboriginal Arts and Culture (GRASAC), the University of Pennsylvania Museum collaborative virtual exhibition Tipatshimuna and the McCord Museum, formerly administered by McGill University. The research and knowledge dissemination mandate of universities, together with the issues surrounding the repatriation of objects, online collaboration and access to collections, the digital form presents a real opportunity to benefits universities, researchers, students and the general public