Frequently Asked Questions

A digital museum is a digital information system that has summarized images and descriptions of exhibits under museum objectives and published them, for example, on the World Wide Web. As a rule, the real collection objects are not only formally indexed, but also described in terms of content. Digital copies are used to visualize the real objects. The exhibits in a digital museum do not have to come from just one real museum; exhibits from different museums can be combined on a theme. Digital museums are similar to digital archives and digital libraries. Some digital museums are part of the general cultural heritage.

A digital museum is often described as a computer or multimedia-supported museum. Here, however, a digital museum means the web presence of a museum that also fulfils its mission of providing information and education online and makes exhibits available digitally. Digital museums shift the focus from the object to the information that is offered to visitors, and are thus entirely in the tradition of the information age. Therefore, when preparing exhibits in digital museums, the context should be placed at the centre and away from the objects. Simply digitizing real museum objects, such as by scanning or photographing them, and publishing the images on a homepage is insufficient. The objects must be made accessible to visitors through context and information. The informational added value also lies in the possibility of linking, which can be better provided in digital form than in physical, real museums.

When it comes to museum exhibits, a general distinction is made between real or analogue objects, digital reproductions and metadata. The analogue objects are the original museum exhibits, while digital reproductions differ from the originals or real reconstructions in that they are usually reproduced as two-dimensional images. The metadata describes the analogue and digital exhibits in order to identify them and make them discoverable in museums.