Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.59.3.5
Museums from Home: Digital Activities of Croatian Museums during the COVID-19 Disease Pandemic
Lana Domšić
; University of Applied Sciences Baltazar Zaprešić, Croatia
Barbara Franić
; University of Applied Sciences Baltazar Zaprešić, Croatia
Mirna Perić
; University of Applied Sciences Baltazar Zaprešić, Croatia
Abstract
In March 2020, Croatian museums closed their doors for several weeks to prevent the spread
of COVID-19. The period of physical confinement was further extended for some Zagreb
museums that were severely damaged in the earthquake. After opening, as in many other museums
in Europe and the world, physical visits continued to decline and museums recorded a
drastic drop in visitors and financial losses. In response to the current situation, with the aim
of continuing to fulfil their social, cultural and educational function, museums have turned
to the internet and social networks as places for dialogue with users, dissemination of content
and presentation of events that couldn’t be physically organized. Many museums devoted
themselves to creation of online resources such as digital exhibitions, virtual tours, e-learning
materials, online conferences and tried to connect with their audiences in different ways and
on different platforms.
The aim of this paper was to investigate how Croatian museums have adapted their services
and contents to new business conditions by using digital media. The paper analyses and evaluates
the activities of museums on websites and social networks in one year period since the
beginning of the pandemic. The results indicate a quantitatively as well as qualitatively rich online
museums’ presence that could mark the beginning of a new era in digital communication
and dissemination of heritage content. The research concludes that the digitization of museum
activities is necessary for the future sustainability of museum functions and encourages further
reflection on the direction of digital access to culture and heritage.
Keywords
virtual museums; digitization; digital technology; social networks; COVID-19; pandemic; digital transformation; users
Hrčak ID:
271642
URI
Publication date:
31.1.2022.
Visits: 2.136 *