Museum Studies terms

Orphan works (N)

An orphan work is a copyrighted work whose owner is impossible to identify or contact. This inability to request permission from the copyright owner often means orphan works cannot be used in new works nor digitized, except when fair use exceptions apply.

"Due to their nature, the requirements of copyright law and the lack of fit for purpose solutions, orphan works represent a massive issue for the mass digitisation and publication (including online) of assets owned by cultural heritage institutions across Europe. 

For many years, risk management has provided the only possible option for cultural heritage institutions to make their orphan works available online. 

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A checklist for risk management 

It is important to stress that risk management is an institutional choice. It should always be carefully considered against any likely risks and costs, as well as documented. If your institution decides to reproduce its orphan works, then the following risk assessment checklist could be useful:

• • Keep records of all attempts made to contact the rights holders.

  • Accompany the reproduction of orphan works with attribution statements where known.

  • Introduce notice and take down policies and procedures to enable the removal of orphan works should the rights holders come forward.

  • Reproduce images in low resolution.

  • Assess the specific risks of reproducing orphan works on a case by case basis, for example, according to the type of work, subject matter and age, to reduce the risk of high profile rights holders coming forward.  

  • Restrict any use to 'Non-Commercial research or private study.'

  • Put money aside in case rights holders come forward and/or take out insurance

  • Carry out reasonable searches. These can include image Recognition Software – use free sites like TinEye and Advanced Google Search.

  • Check the acknowledgements and notes of published works/exhibition catalogues about the author.

  • Check the internet for information about the creator of the material and keep a record of all searches where appropriate.

  • Check the WATCH file on the Internet for information about artists and writers (entered through WATCH). 

  • Check other organisations which might hold works by that artist/creator and contact them to see whether they can provide any information about the rights holder.

  • Check with collecting societies.

  • Establish whether the work has been lent/bequeathed/given by the rights holder. If so, can the person who gave the material provide any contact information for the rights holder?

  • Check whether the material is held in a Picture Library or stock photography agency.

  • Check if the work by an academic, student, member of support staff or anyone else directly (or indirectly) connected with your organisation.

  • Place an advert in a relevant trade journal or magazine in order to trace the rights holder.

  • If the artist or author is still living, then you may be able to find their contact address through online directory enquiries."

Participatory Design / Approach

 An exhibition or museum is designed so that visitors are active, cultural participants, not passive consumers. 

 "Rather than delivering the same content to everyone, a participatory institution collects and shares diverse, personalized, and changing content co-produced with visitors.

It invites visitors to respond and add to cultural artifacts, scientific evidence, and historical records on display. It showcases the diverse creations and opinions of non-experts. People use the institution as meeting grounds for dialogue around the content presented. Instead of being “about” something or “for” someone, participatory institutions are created and managed “with” visitors.

From: The Participatory Museum, by Nina Simon 

Watch the video (spoken English, written English, BSL) of the Harris Museum in Preston for an example of the participatory approach:

Pop-up museum (N)

A pop-up museum is a temporary museum, a travelling display or an exhibition hosted outside of a traditional museum space. 

Preservation (N)

The activity or process of keeping something alive, intact, or free from damage or decay.

The verb: to preserve.

Reappropriation (N)

Reappropriation is the cultural process by which a group reclaims—re-appropriates—terms or artefacts that were previously used in a way that is denigrating to that group.

Sponsor (N, V)

A sponsor is a person or organization that pays for all or part of the costs for an event or product, in return for advertising. 

To sponsor: to pay for all or some of the costs of an event or product, in return for advertising. 

Subaltern (A)

"The Subaltern perspective stands for understanding the society through conditions of subordination of people belonging to the different caste, class, age, gender, race etc.

It seeks to present an alternate image of society through the viewpoint of the masses usually unrepresented. It seeks to restore a balance by highlighting the role of the masses as against the elites in political and social movements .

It treats peasants, tribal and other marginalized sections of the society as the makers of their own history ."

Tangible (Adj, N)

Tangible: something that you can touch.

Tangible Cultural Heritage: artefacts produced, maintained and transmitted from one  generation to the other in a community.
It includes artistic creations, buildings and monuments, and other physical or tangible products of human creativity that are invested with cultural significance in a society. 

Also used as a noun: tangibles, artefacts and objects that you can touch.

UX, User Experience Design

An important tool for exhibition design is "user experience design', or UX. UX is mostly used for the design of websites and apps, but it can also be applied to the design of a Museum or exhibition. 

The main goal of UX design is to enhance the satisfaction and usability of a product, by improving the interaction between the user and the product. 

The UX design principles can therefore also be applied to any physical or digital space where people interact with a product, service, or environment.

In the context of museum or exhibition design, UX design can help to create an engaging and memorable experience for visitors. UX designers take into account factors such as the layout of the space, the flow of traffic, and the placement of exhibits to create a seamless and intuitive experience for visitors.

Virtual museum (N)

A Virtual museum is a collection of digitally recorded images, sound files, text documents, and other data of historical, scientific, or cultural interest that are accessed through electronic media.

A virtual museum does not house actual objects and therefore lacks the permanence and unique qualities of a museum in the institutional definition of the term. Through the hyperlinking and multimedia capabilities of electronic information media, digitized representations can be brought together from multiple sources for enjoyment and study in a manner largely determined by the individual user.

Virtual museums of this type can be a powerful tool for comparative study and for research into a particular subject, material, or locality.

Virtual Reality, VR (N)

Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated, 'virtual' environment.  VR places the user inside an experience. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them, users are immersed and able to interact with 3D worlds. 

The user wears a VR headset, to see the Virtual world. VR headsets vary from basic, using a mobile phone, to dedicated VR headsets.

Words to use and avoid

Source: Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability, 15 March 2021

Consider these guidelines when communicating with or about disabled people: 

• • The word ‘disabled’ is a description not a group of people. Use ‘disabled people’ not ‘the disabled’ as the collective term.
  • However, many deaf people whose first language is BSL consider themselves part of ‘the deaf community’ – they may describe themselves as ‘Deaf’, with a capital D, to emphasise their deaf identity.

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Words to use and avoid

Avoid passive, victim words. Use language that respects disabled people as active individuals with control over their own lives.