From glass cases to open collections
Museums hold objects, documents, artworks, specimens and photographs, and for a long time most of that material could only be seen by visiting in person, and only a small fraction was ever on display. Digitization has changed what is possible. Many museums now publish catalogs and photographs of their holdings online, and some release a portion under open licenses or in the public domain so that anyone may reuse them. This article looks at what museums share, how visitors and classes use it, and what to watch for. Practices vary widely between museums and countries, and the details below are general.
What museums share
Open material from museums typically falls into several groups.
- Images of collection objects. High-resolution photographs of paintings, artifacts, maps, natural history specimens and other items, often with catalog notes.
- Catalog data. Descriptions, dates, materials, places of origin and other details, sometimes downloadable as structured data that researchers and developers can reuse.
- Teaching sets. Selections of objects with questions, background notes and suggested activities for teachers.
- Learning kits and loan boxes. Physical sets of replicas or specimens loaned to schools, sometimes with accompanying open lesson plans.
- Audio, video and text. Talks, curator interviews, exhibition guides and articles.
Not everything is open. Museums often hold objects they do not own the copyright to, or that are subject to donor conditions, and some images are available only for personal use. Some material includes culturally sensitive items, human remains or objects whose communities of origin have views about how they should be shown. Responsible museums increasingly consult with those communities, and a lack of open access to some items is a deliberate choice, not an oversight.
Understanding the license
When you find a museum image online, look for a statement of terms. Common cases are:
- the work is in the public domain, either because copyright has expired or has been waived, and may be reused freely
- the image carries an open license, such as a Creative Commons license, which usually requires credit
- the image is free for non-commercial or educational use only
- reuse requires permission
These categories are explained more generally in our discussion of copyright and licensing. One subtle point is that a photograph of an old object may or may not carry its own rights, depending on the country and the museum’s policy, so it is better to follow the museum’s stated terms than to guess. When credit is requested, use the form of words the museum provides. If the terms are unclear, contacting the museum is the safest course.
How classes use museum material
Teachers use open museum collections in many ways. Examples include asking students to compare two portraits and discuss what each tells us about the period, using maps to trace changes in a place, analyzing objects as primary evidence in history lessons, or using specimens in biology or geology. Art classes can study techniques up close at a magnification that visitors in a gallery could not achieve.
Open images also allow students to create their own work: presentations, timelines, remixed posters, quizzes and digital exhibitions. Because the material is licensed for reuse, students can publish what they make without worrying about permissions, which supports the idea of students creating content as part of their learning.
Some good habits for teachers:
- Choose a small number of objects and ask open questions about them.
- Check the license before putting images in slides, handouts or public websites.
- Pair images with the museum’s own notes or other reliable sources, since a photograph alone can mislead about size, color and context.
- Encourage students to credit sources, which builds a habit used in research.
Whether object-based teaching improves learning compared with other methods is a question where the evidence is mixed. Many teachers report that objects spark curiosity, but this does not mean any particular result follows.
How individual visitors use it
Outside classrooms, people use open collections for hobbies, family history, design, writing and research. Someone might search a digital collection for pictures of tools used in a trade their ancestor followed, or browse paintings of a city to see how it has changed. Because online collections are available at any hour, people who cannot visit because of distance, cost, health or caring duties can still take part.
Self-directed learners are well advised to use the museum’s descriptions with some care. Catalog entries record what is known, and what is known can change as scholarship advances. Searching a reputable source for background and using the habits described in our piece on information literacy helps keep interpretation sound.
Trends often discussed
Several themes recur in discussions of museums and open learning:
- more museums releasing images or data from their collections, often as a stated mission to widen access
- partnership between museums and libraries, archives and universities to share platforms and standards
- online exhibitions and virtual tours, which vary in quality and reach
- attention to accessibility, such as image descriptions for blind and low-vision users, captions for video and plain-language labels
- increasing efforts to give context and acknowledge the histories behind collections
Limits and cautions
Open release has costs. Digitizing and describing objects takes time and money, and small museums may not have it. Some museums depend on income from image licensing and weigh that against open access. Digital images do not replace seeing real objects, and descriptions may be incomplete or reflect older attitudes. Teachers should read catalog entries critically and be ready to discuss that with students.
Despite those limits, museums give open education something many resources cannot: primary material, carefully described, from a source with a long record of caring for it. Used with attention to licenses and context, it can make lessons and independent study more concrete.