Οnline Access to Digital Collections: Design and Use of Museum Databases

The creation of institutional websites is one of the most widespread information and communication technologies in the cultural sector. Expectations of web users, together with social and technological developments, have influenced an expanding trend among cultural organisations to offer wider inclusion and greater versatility in the presentation of collections and related information in their digital spaces. However, the effectiveness of these applications has not been systematically tested so far, nor has their use been examined with any in-depth research study, despite the increasing pressure on museums to provide online access to their collection catalogues. This paper will present the results of a research project which aims to address this gap. At the first stage of the research, museum websites from different countries were selected and analysed. After the identification of specific groups based on the type of web presentation, the research project focused on the museums that presented digital databases of their collection on their website, sending them a questionnaire on the design of the databases and of their use by virtual visitors. This paper will present mainly the results from these first two stages of the research and will place them in a broader discussion about the use of cultural information by different users in various contexts