Disrupting Discovery: Artsy and Museums Rethinking Pathways to Collections

Professional Forum
Christine Kuan, USA , Sebastian Chan, Australia, Jane Alexander, USA, Matthew Israel, USA

Today, museums are using the technology to amplify the impact of their collections, exhibitions, and programs. For the most part, millions of images from museum collections are searchable through traditional art-historical terms, such as creator name, title, date, medium, etc. Yet, analysis of user search behavior shows that experts and non-experts alike increasingly need various pathways into content beyond traditional fielded metadata. Subject access and curated social media have far-reaching impact on generating greater usage and discovery. This panel will explore various ways Artsy and other museum projects have combined search technology, design, metadata, and social media in order to rethink the modes through which we optimize public engagement with museum collections.