Summary: Museum Tech Issues

Much like how homes and business incorporate technology and computer usage in everyday operations museums rely on these technologies for a number of important and helpful functions. Using technology comes at a cost when multiple platforms must run together or begin crashing and when technology becomes dated and unhelpful. There are plenty of updates, physical fixes, call centers, and other methods to get something fixed or replaced but there are other ways to efficiently use technology in some areas of  museum management. For this analysis I am presenting and analyzing the development of a program titled Tools for Show that will consolidate programs and operations into one platform. While it is still in the testing stages and being offered for demos Tools for Show will allow users to input object files and pictures, use digital layouts and measurements to assist in show design, and offer collaborative outlets for users. The key idea is that consolidating these multiple tools in one will help expedite processes that take up more time using other programs or devices and also allow for easy access to collections or archives. One aspect of using this program would to also encourage users to work together to help sort out some technical issues when they arise (although I will note there was very little discussion in terms of physical or software issues). Due to some common ailments of museum technologies the development of programs like Tools for Show can help museum staff work together in one place and allow them more time to focus on their work rather than dealing with technical issues.