Do you know what a QR Code is? QR stands for Quick Response. The two-dimensional code was developed by Denso Wave Corporation in 1994. QR Code contains information in both the vertical and horizontal directions, whereas a traditional bar code contains data in one direction only. QR Code holds a considerably greater volume of information than a bar code. As a result, companies, museums, and individuals have embraced the technology and have used the QR Code for a variety of applications ranging from gallery labels to grave stones. With a simple QR Code Reader and Scanner App that can be downloaded for FREE on your mobile smart phone, a user can take a picture via their camera on the phone while in the App, and the application will scan the data within the QR Code and directly link the phone to the embedded content.

This past weekend, I presented on this innovative technology at the Association of Midwest Museums 2010 Annual Conference: Museums Making Connections in Cleveland, Ohio. With the evolution of Web 2.0 and the rise of smart phones, today’s museum visitors seek more multimedia content that they are able to access, share, and save on their mobile devices. On the flip side, museums are frantically searching for a way to connect to a constantly connected audience. One challenge is getting over the learning curve of in-house technologies used for digital tours (i.e., iPods, iPads, and other digital players). But if the content can be accessed straight from the users personal smart phone, then there is no learning curve – they must only understand the mysteries of the QR Code – quickly gaining popularity in the United States. If you were to talk with a native from Japan about QR Code, it would be like talking about the intuitive action of walking. Over 75% of people in Japan either know or have used QR Codes in their daily life. The QR Codes exist on newspapers, billboards, tattoos, and even wedding rings.

Look out for QR Codes soon in the galleries and throughout the museum. You may even start to see them in our advertisements in local media publications. Still confused? Curious? Use this simple guide to get started.

I’m Michael Goodwin, and I have been working as an intern at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Recently, I began the detailed project of revamping the Contemporary’s library. My goals were to catalog the museum’s book collection, marking each publication with CAMSTL’s stamp, and then categorize the diverse subject areas for ease of use. And when I started, I was concerned about whether or not everything could be accomplished before summer began and my internship ended. 

Enter: LibraryThing.com. LibraryThing is an online book community, a cataloging tool, a social network of book lovers, and a nexus for book reviews, local book events, and book discussions. LibraryThing welcomes both personal and organizational catalogs, and a number of likeminded museums are already part of its network.

Twenty-first century technology and new fields of social networking have made the process of cataloging and searching for books a breeze. What once may have been a long, monotonous process is now as simple as using Facebook, which is second nature for any college student.

Adding a book into our personal catalog is easy: enter its ISBN number. Searching for a book is just as easy. LibraryThing is able to search hundreds of global catalogs in order to correctly determine the book, an ideal feature for the Contemporary’s international collection of reference books, gallery guides, and monographs. 

Unable to find a certain book in one place? Users are also able to quickly click onto another catalog to search. Resources like the catalog of the Helsinki Metropolitan Libraries, the National Library of Taiwan, or the University of Botswana catalog, to cite a few fascinating examples, are immediately available. 

One of the huge benefits of LibraryThing is that the catalog is viewable from any computer, with or without a LibraryThing account. Visitors to the Contemporary’s presence on the site, http://www.librarything.com/catalog/CAMSTL, can browse and search the Contemporary’s catalog. And you can visit the books in person, too; they’re housed in the museum’s second-floor Exhibition Lab.

A site visitor can enjoy all of the benefits of this unique social network by joining LibraryThing for free. If you choose not to join, the browsing and searching aspects of the site are still available. The incredible accessibility and digitalization of the collection will certainly improve the Contemporary’s library experience for all. If only there was a way to digitally stamp the books as well … but who knows what the Internet will yield next?

Watch the video put together by Amy from the Pulitzer on the Contemporary’s new media and posted on saintlouisartmap.org. The video is part of a series “catching up with…” St. Louis arts organizations.

The Museum is closed for installation until January 22 which is Opening Night of Sean Landers: 1991-1994, Improbable History and Stephen Prina: Modern Movie Popin the Main Galleries and Xavier Cha in The Front Room. You can stay connected to the Contemporary by visiting this blog, social networking sites, and the Museum’s website. Click here for all the ways to stay connected while we are closed.

No doubt, communications has always been a necessity of life, but as technology advances, the user is confronted with more user-friendly interfaces and old sources of media die out or become less relevant.  This phenomenon is not new by any means. During the past couple of years, technology, and younger generations developing and using the technology, has started a revolution. People no longer consider printed newspaper, radio, or television as their only source of information. The user, now more than ever, is able to choose media sources relevant to them. Many of the more traditional media sources have recognized this growing trend and have adapted to the consumer’s needs by creating RSS Feeds, building a social network, and using these as a free marketing tools. Some have even changed their method of communication completely. A website was once a cornerstone in the emerging technological era, now with the birth of Web 2.0, the Internet and all methods of communication have been radically transformed.

So in a world of change, where do museums fit in? Where does a museum stand? I would argue the museum exists for the people and the people are definitely changing. So in an effort to adapt to visitor demands, museums must evolve, just like all the other industries being forced to adapt. One might think a museum is a place of tradition, existing solely to preserve or present culture, but this view is shifting with the times. An object is simply not enough. A collection is nothing without a curator as the interpreter, and it is worthless without the public’s interest. Objects, collections, and art are valuable things and if museums do not rapidly adapt; museum professionals could quickly lose the public’s interest. 

The new buzz word is “experience.” Museums, science centers, and zoos are being asked by their visitors to give them an experience. Let us not forget where the first seeds of museums existed. Cabinets of curiosities held objects yet to be classified and artifacts of wonder were displayed for a select view to enjoy. As more people are allowed access to culture and items of significance, knowledge spreads and people are able to experience more than they ever have. The challenge becomes how to give the visitor an experience that is still of “wonder” or even find objects that exist in that “unclassified” realm. Time is valuable and people do not wish to waste it on things they have already seen.

People will always have an interest in history, art, and culture, but to really appreciate the foundation of a museum, the person must feel like they belong. A person must feel a connection to the space, to the museum professionals, and to what is being presented. Exhibitions and objects must be relevant to them and their lives. So how is this achieved if so many artworks were not meant to be relevant to future generations, but instead only function for the people living in the timeframe an object/artwork was manifested? It is achieved with open source systems and Web 2.0 technologies. Through these two resources, people are able to mold the museum into their lifestyle. The museum no longer molds the public, instead, the roles have been reversed and people are getting more control over the content in which they wish to view and what they feel is most relevant to their lives. For a museum to thrive, it must continue to challenge a visitor on every level of communication and be an innovative space that is connected and alive.

As museums move into the technological era, the Contemporary is keeping up with the fast paced environment with the launch of their new cell phone tour. Unlike the typical cell phone tour that guides you through an exhibition via an educated professional speaking about what you are viewing, this tour allows visitors to explore the museum and the current exhibition in an interactive way. Upon entering the museum, the visitor is encouraged to use their personal cell phone to text a keyword to the number provided to them. Do not worry about compatibility, this tour works with all cell phones (i.e., smart phones, androids, and standard non-video phones). Within moments, the user receives a text welcoming them to the museum and asking which tour they would like to pursue. Currently, the options are the current exhibition and an architecture tour and other tours are in the design process.

The cell phone tour sends hints to visitors and the visitor must search for the piece or place being described. Once the destination is located, the visitor is then asked a series of questions that can only be answered while in front of the piece or while in the specific place. Points are awarded for correct answers and subtracted for incorrect answers. In this respect, the tour acts as an interactive game that dubs the person with the highest score the champion. As the visitor moves through the space, questions are also complimented with interesting facts, so the experience becomes educational as well as self-motivated. The system allows the user to choose their own path and depending upon the answers given, it will take visitors in different directions or ask alternate questions.

From the user’s point of view, the game is simple and fun, but the internal complexity could only be developed by a company that is helping museums engage audiences in new ways, SCVNGR.

The goal of this project is to provide the visitor with an alternative way of exploring the museum, while also continuing to develop ways to help people better understand and appreciate the wonders of contemporary art.