Christina Aube’s Post

So much work – thought, time, and effort – goes into museum object labels.   Before you see them on the wall, labels are:   ▹ drafted, written, edited, revised, and sometimes translated ▹ designed and typeset ▹ reviewed by many, many sets of eyes ▹ updated, finalized, and printed ▹ installed in a gallery   But, object labels are work for visitors too. They’re trying to read:   ▹ unfamiliar names, terms, and jargon ▹ while looking at objects ▹ in lower light conditions ▹ in a crowded space   Besides being a lot of work, object labels have to do a lot of work, whether they’re on view in an exhibition for a few months, or in a permanent collection gallery for many years.   You definitely can’t say it all in a single label. You don’t want to overwhelm visitors with too much text or distract from the objects on display. Furthermore, once installed, it’s a lot of hassle to update content. But what if you want to share a conservator’s exciting discovery, provide images of additional works in the series, or celebrate an artist during Women’s History Month?   By creating a digital counterpart to share via QR code or on an in-gallery device, museum teams can complement printed labels and give visitors the option to explore further.   I wrote about the possibilities of digital object labels in my latest article (link in comments).