Leff & Temkin: 2009 WebWise Conference, Digital Debates
Filed at 1:31 pm on December 16, 2008 • Leave a comment
Reflections on the upcoming WebWise conference, why it matters, and its 2009 theme—from a museum director and the conference coordinator.
by Cathy Leff and Susanna Temkin
This past year, The Wolfsonian-Florida International University (The Wolfsonian-FIU) partnered with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to co-organize its annual WebWise Conference, a symposium whose aim is to explore the impact and potential of technology for the museum and library communities.
The Wolfsonian-FIU, a museum and research center based in Miami Beach, has a vast collection that begins with the rise of the machine and the machine age, examining how the development of new technologies in the modern era both shaped and reflected human experience. Though the period of our collection ends in 1945, we recognize that technology continues to transform our lives and our world. Webwise offered us the opportunity to examine and learn how museums and libraries across the country can use new technologies to enhance access to their collections, new audiences, and create new learning environments.
One of the highlights of the 2008 WebWise Conference was the keynote speech by MacArthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton, “Rights and Responsibilities On-Line: A Paradox for our Time”. In his talk, Mr. Fanton both championed emerging technologies, but also cautioned their blind use through what he described as the democratic “paradox” of the Internet. He stated that museums and libraries could and should play a role in thinking and working out some of these critical issues.
After the 2008 WebWise Conference, we at The Wolfsonian-FIU began to think about some of these big issues and their implications, while also demonstrating to our own Wolfsonian colleagues the ability of social networks to reach new audiences. We launched a blog in conjunction with our exhibit, Thoughts on Democracy. In creating the blog, we dealt with some of the issues brought up in Mr. Fanton’s speech: what were the rights and responsibilities of The Wolfsonian-FIU in inviting the public to engage in an open dialog about democracy during a contentious election year? What would happen if someone posted an “inappropriate” response on the blog? How could The Wolfsonian even deem what was inappropriate? In the end, our Thoughts on Democracy blog went without issue, while still opening our eyes as to what was at stake in adopting new technologies.
Informed by our own experience, when shaping the 2009 WebWise Conference The Wolfsonian-FIU and IMLS decided to take up Mr. Fanton’s challenge to convene an “organized debate” to discuss the ethical issues involved in the use of digital media and technology. This year’s conference theme is “Digital Debates” and is being organized as a series of discussions between museum, library, academic, and technology experts about the challenges faced by cultural institutions in light of emerging technologies.
Museums and libraries are the stewards of the nation’s and world’s intellectual assets, and need to learn from and partner with those who seek to understand how digital media is and will continue to impact learning in the 21st century. We look forward to engaging with many of the MacArthur Foundation partners at the 2009 WebWise Conference, which can inspire and promote the cross-pollination of the museum, library, research, and technology fields and an enrich our perspectives.
Please join us at the 2009 conference, which will take place in Washington D.C. February 25-27, 2009. Participation in the conference is free, but fills to capacity each year, so we encourage early registration. Information about the conference agenda, hotel and travel, and on-line registration can be found at the WebWise Conference website at http://webwise2009.fcla.edu We hope to see you in Washington D.C. in February!
Next: Erin Reilly: MIT's Project New Media Literacies > >
< < Previous: Audrey Aronowsky: WhyReef
Save or share this post
Tags
Tags:
Comments (0)
No comments yet.
Robust discussion/debate is encouraged. Comments are reviewed before posting to ensure they are on topic and do not promote commercial products or services.
Add a Comment