In many museums, various interactive systems can be found in the exhibition hall . These systems extend the visitors’ experience by making it more active. The systems are collated as multi-media terminals, although the specific hardware and software of these systems varies. What all these systems have in common is that they provide additional information to visitors within the context of the exhibition. Such information can be as simple as hypertext but it can also entail quizzes for children and adults, 2D and 3D visualisations of buildings and environments, or even simulations.

An example of such interactive terminal is the European Corner at the National Polytechnic museum in Sofia.

 

 

This is a web2.0. - based, which is in direct on-line connection with 4 more Corners, built at 4 European museums involved in a net. It consists of three touch screens with different functions.

 On the central, the biggest screen, with pictures and texts can be visualized numerous exhibitions, organized in different galleries. The content, according its audience, can be published (shown) only for the certain country, or in a larger scale – for the audiences of the rest of the European museums - partners in the net.

 

 

The second screen of the system ensures the feedback or this is the so called “video guest book”. Here, the visitors can ask questions, to document their comments and opinions, to make suggestions about the present content, etc. The guest book gives a possibility for a quick contact with the museum’s team, and also for exchange of opinions with other audiences. It functions as an original forum for opinions and dialog. The guest book can be used and for preliminary marketing research, as also for visitors profile research, testing of forthcoming initiatives, advertising – informational messages and so on. Every museum’s guest can leave his comment and to look at the already presented visual and sound comments – in real time.

 

 

The third screen of the European corner is the “Video channel”. There can be uploaded short films, video clips or other visual formats, which supplement the content of the main screen. These materials present parts from the permanent exhibition, enlarge the information for certain themes, represent new authors projects, etc.

The Corner has a link to the social net- Twitter. In view of the fast development and variability of the communication devices, the system has options for link and trough I-Phone, Tablet devices, internal museums nets – for communication between the professionals, it can be used in certain regime of access from different museums and other partner’s institutions and for certain data base of the cultural heritage. It can be used also and to increase the active exchange of exhibitions through shortening the way and the time for choice from the offer list. In fact it gives a lot of possibilities for virtual extending of the exhibition’s area – through digital presentation of already archived exhibitions, through showing parts of future exhibitions, links to similar initiatives in other museums from the net and so on.

Another examples of multi-media application are the informational kiosks – e.g. the Multifunctional touch screen informational kiosk, built in the Varna archeology museum (and in the National archeology museum in Sofia).They replace the traditional guiding brochures and books by providing quick and detailed information about the exhibitions and their location; they give thematic information in pictures, text and videos about important or interesting exhibits, about future exhibitions, etc.

 

 

More examples you can see at:

http://www.chateau-nantes.fr/en/castle/the_nantes_museum/multimedia/