Introduction

The purpose of this document is to report on a workshop held on the use of technology for museums of the Pacific islands region run in July 2005. In addition recommendations are made for follow-up activities for the region and for the improvement of future workshops.

The emphasis of the workshop was on the skills needed for construction of a web site for each museum. However, broader use of the Internet was discussed, particularly the use of web search engines as a research tool and the effective use of e-mail for collaboration between museum staff.

Illustration 1: Fiji Arts Council Website

The workshop largely followed the format of one conducted by ICOM in the Caribbean in 2001. This report uses much the same format as Anne Avaro's report from that workshop (the "Curacao Report "1).

Preparation

The Caribbean workshop was preceded by a detailed questionnaire sent to institutions in the region. Participants were surveyed as to their Internet knowledge and asked to bring materials from their institutions for use in web exercises. The short time available precluded a similar information gathering exercise before the Pacific workshop. However, a questionnaire (appended) was administered to the workshop participants, asking for details of the ICT facilities and skills in their institution. Participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire on the workshop and asked for suggestions for improvements. The results of these questionnaires are summarised later in this report.

Illustration 2: Cook Islands National Museum (Simulated Display on Mobile Telephone)

As with the previous workshop, the aim was to represent all island states, with a balance of small and large institutions. Participants required fluency in English and were expected to have some experience with using computers and the Internet, particularly e-mail and web browsing. All participants proved to have a necessary level of computer skills, but there was a wide range of experience. Some staff had helped create or maintain their museum's web site, most had no web development experience.

Recommendation: Adopt a Standard for Computer Literacy. For future workshops, and for museum staff using computers, a standard for computer literacy should be used. A suitable standard is the International Computer Driver's License (ICDL2), known in Europe as the European Driver's License (ECDL).

Web Notes and Search Skills

To demonstrate the use of the Internet to participants, most materials were provided to the participants in electronic document form. Paper based material was limited to:

• Timetable for the workshop

• Two page workshop summary

• UNESCO Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage3

• List of digital archive projects4

• List of workshop participants

The workshop summary was a printed from a hypertext document prepared for the even by the trainer. This had a brief outline of the content and links to detailed material to be used on-line. Participants were encouraged to follow the links in the document on their individual PCs as the facilitator talked about them. This proved very useful. However, the detailed notes were not available outside the PC equipped workshop room. A printed workshop handbook which participants can read out of hours, make notes on and take away with them would have been of value.

Recommendation: Provide printed and on-line handbook. Provide a printed version of the on-line workshop notes for future workshops.

Travel, accommodations and logistics

UNESCO and a local travel agent assisted ANU staff in making travel and accommodation arrangements. Workshop participants were accommodated in the one hotel and after hours group activities organized (such as meals out and a visit to a local museum). This helped foster a group spirit in participants. However, more day time activities outside the workshop room would have been useful.

Recommendation: Provide group accommodation and social activities. It is recommended that some of the day time of future workshops be set aside for group activities. These could be and they be incorporated into the course. For example on a visit to a small museum, the participants could record information to be used to prepare a web site for the museum.

The Workshop

The workshop ran from 11 to 15 July 2005 at Apia, Samoa, under the auspices of the International Council of Museums (ICOM5). The workshop was conducted by the Australian National University, with support from the UNESCO Office for the Pacific States. The Computer Laboratory of the National University of Samoa6was used, with technical support from the university's ICT staff.

Organisers

The workshop was under the auspices of the International Council of Museums (ICOM):

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is an international organisation of museums and museum professionals which is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.

Created in 1946, ICOM is a non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council.

From: "What is ICOM", 1 July 2005, URL: http://icom.museum/organization.html

The workshop was conducted by the Australian National University's, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, with support from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS) is Australia's pre-eminent centre for research and postgraduate training on the Asia Pacific region.

Priority areas for the School's research are Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Southwest Pacific. Research is focused on anthropology, archaeology, economics, history, human geography, international relations, linguistics, political science, resource management, and strategic and defence studies.

From: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, 21 July 2005, URL: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/

Support was from the UNESCO Office for the Pacific States:

The main mission of the UNESCO Office in Apia is to:

• promote peace, goodwill and co-operation between the Pacific Member States in all fields of competence of UNESCO;

• enhance the image of UNESCO in the region and foster the development of a corporate spirit within the Pacific Member States founded on the principles and philosophy of the Organisation; and

• sponsor the visibility and credibility of the Pacific National Commissions within their countries, and promote solidarity, co-operation and collaboration in their participation in UNESCO's sub-regional, and global activities.

From "UNESCO Office for the Pacific States ", Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, URL: http://www.dfat.gov.au/intorgs/unesco/apia.html

Purpose

The purpose of the workshop was to bring together museum professionals island states to provide the skills needed to develop web sites. In addition they would be encouraged to use the Internet to communicate with their colleagues and encouraged to keep in contact with each other via e-mail when they returned to their institutions. Participants were encouraged to pass on what they had learned, by presenting workshops in their institutions and showing the web sites they had developed.

Objectives

The objective of the workshop was to develop the participants' knowledge of the web and other Internet technologies, to the point where they could design a basic web site for their organisation. An emphasis was placed on web designs suited to the limited technical staff, equipment and telecommunication links of the region. Participants would then be expected to assist their directors in future regional meetings on coordination of museum ICT activities.

Illustration 3: Falemata'aga- Museum of Samoa Web Page

Participants

The workshop was in English7and brought together 13 participants (the maximum number recommended from the previous workshop was 16) from the American Samoa (2), Cook Islands (1), Federal States of Micronesia (1), Fiji (2), Marshall Islands (1), Palau (1), Samoa (2), Solomon Islands (1), and Tonga (2). Local UNESCO staff also participated in part of the workshop. While English was the workshop language, Polynesian languages of the region were also used by some workshop participants and at social functions. The course notes and slides were provided to individual participant's PC, so those having difficulty understanding spoken English could follow the notes.

Trainer

Illustration 4: Solomon Island National Museum Search Page

The trainer was Mr. Thomas Worthington8, a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the Australian National University (ANU). Mr. Worthington teaches the design of web sites and use of e-commerce systems to computer science, software engineering and commerce students at the ANU. He is the former web master and IT policy advisor to the Australian Department of Defence. In 1999 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society for his contribution to the development of public Internet policy.

Content

The programme outline was based on that used for the previous workshop. The detailed content was provided from Mr. Worthington's ANU course notes, workshops, articles and books. This was supplemented with material from the ICOM web site, UNESCO web site and other on-line sources.

Each of the five days of the workshop was devoted to one broad topic:

1. Introduction to the Web, Internet and ICT,

2. Internet services: Search engines, E-mail, Discussion forums,

3. Designing web sites: Objectives, audience, content and function; Site structure; Hosting, domain name, maintenance,

4. Designing Web Pages: Flexible Design; Preparation of text and images; HTML basics,

5. Promoting Your Web Site and the Future: Metadata; Digital Archives;; Online Meetings; Intranets.

Equipment

NUS provided a computer training room with a PC for each participant. UNESCO provided a video projector to allow the whole workshop to see the trainer's computer display (connected to the trainer's own laptop). All PCs and the laptop were connected by an Ethernet LAN to the Internet, via the NUS's network. A shared disk space was provided for all participant's work.

The PCs were arranged two per desk. This layout encouraged the two participants at each desk to help each other out with problems.

ICOM and UNESCO staff occupied the desks at the back of the room near the door. This allowed them to participate in part of the workshop and leave for other parts, without disturbing the other participants.

Each PC was equipped with the Microsoft Office suite of applications, plus Microsoft Frontpage web development software, and the Mozilla Firefox web browser. NUS technical staff were on hand to assist with hardware and software problems.

The effective Internet speed available to participants was about 24kbps. This is similar to the Internet speed available to a dial-up user in the region, and so was useful in giving participants a realistic idea of how the general public would experience their web designs. However, the slow speed hampered some of the training. NUS was in the process of upgrading its network during the week of the workshop and this may have contributed to the slow speed.

Recommendation: 64kbps Per Person. An Internet link with at least 64kbps per participant be provided for future workshops.

NUS provided a common user-id and password for all participants. This made it easier to get the workshop started, but caused problems later with difficulty in distinguishing between individual participants work on the shared directory. Each participant was shown how to create a folder on the shared directory to put their work in. However, individual user-ids would be preferable.

Issue individual user-ids to workshop participants: Each participant should be issued with an individual user-id, so that they can keep their own work.

Teaching Methodology

The theory for each part of the program was introduced by the trainer, followed by a practical activity by participants. Slides and web examples were projected on a large screen at the front of the room and participants encouraged to follow the notes on their individual PCs. Participants were then shown an example of a exercise on the big screen and asked to perform a similar one on their own. As well as the trainer, the more advanced participants were encouraged to help the others.

Participants were invited to present the results of their work on exercises to the rest of the workshop. For small exercises they spoke from their seat. For the web site design exercise they drew on the white board at the front of the room. For web site designs the participants came to the front of the room and used the large screen to present their designs. The trainer attempted to have each participant present at least once.

Recommendation: Provide a large screen and PCs. The room layout of a large screen for group presentations and a PC for each participant works well. If resources do not permit, several participants could share a PC.

The aim was to first encourage participants to see the web as a resource and then use that resource in building a web site. Participants were encouraged to find reference documents, such as those of ICOM, on the web as well as cultural content relevant to their institution.

Participants introduced themselves at the beginning of the workshop and were encouraged to talk about their institution as part of presenting their web design.

The Microsoft Frontpage template for a company presentation was used as the basis for the museum web pages. This proved a useful start and changing the template's company orientated details to suit a museum was a useful learning experience for participants. However, a template specifically for museums would be useful.

Future work for the region

Museum Web Template

The workshop showed that museums of the region have much in common in how they are administered, operate and the needs of their clients. A web template specifically designed for museums would be useful for those setting up a web site, particularly at smaller institutions. The template could also be used in training museum staff in web development and as a starting point for outsourced web development. The template could provide tips on web design and be used for future workshops.

Recommendation: Create a web template for small museums. It is recommended a template for a small museum web site be developed and made freely available. The template could provide tips on web design and be used for future workshops.

Hosted Web Site for Smaller Museums

The workshop showed that museum staff, within a few days could use a PC based tool, such as Microsoft Frontpage, to develop a web site. However, very small institutions may not be able to retain staff with the necessary skills and equipment needed to maintain the web site. Even larger institutions may have difficulty with this. The alternative suggested by the previous workshop was for museums to outsource their web development. However, another alternative would be for museums to use software and on-line services tailored for museums.

The free open source Plone9web content management system is an example of software developed for creating web sites. This can be run on a remote web server for very small web site or run on the institution's own computer at larger organizations. A very small museum could use a local cyber-cafe, or dial-up PC to create and maintain their web site. No special software would be required at the museum and the staff would only be required to fill in a form to create and maintain the site.

Recommendation: Create web based museum software and service: It is recommended a web based content management system, such as Plone, be adapted for museums. The software would be provided as free opens source and hosted so that small institutions need no web development software.

Hosted Web Based Catalog System Shared by Museums

It should be noted that using a content management system to maintain the museum web site is distinct from using web based museum catalog management software. Workshop participants prepared museum catalog entries using the supplied Microsoft Front Page web authoring software. However, the catalog entries should be stored in a database specifically designed for cultural items.

The workshop was shown the ANU's institutional repository "Dspace ", used to preserve and provide access to the University's research materials10. Dspace includes cultural artifacts, such as extensive archives of digitized photographs11. This software is available free and could be used to create a shared archive for cultural materials in regionals museums. Dspace could be used in conjunction with a free museum catalog management system, such as HERA212.

Recommendation: Pacific Museum Digital Archive: Create a regional digital archive of materials in the smaller museums. The archive would be hosted at a suitable cultural institution, such as the ANU. Each Museum enter and accessing their own content via the web.

Repatriation Programs

Several workshop participants included details of cultural artifact repatriation programs in their web site designs. This may be a useful area to concentrate on in future workshops. Museums could work together to create web sites specifically about repatriation programs and to encourage the public to provide information on artifacts seen in other museums which might be of significance.

Recommendation: Repatriation Websites: Convene a special working group to create web content on cultural artefact repatriation programs.

Results

1. The participants created a brief design document for a web site, and built a small web page. The web sites were tested locally and copied to CR-ROM for distribution to the participants.

2. Participants were provided with contact details for each other and encouraged to keep in contact.

3. Several participants are intending to develop web sites themselves, others will be helping modify existing sites or contract for new ones. In one case the participant sought advice on how to return control of a web site to their institution after the external web master failed to update it and the solution was work-shopped.

Evaluation

Evaluation forms for the workshop were distributed to the participants on the last day. As this was a workshop on web use, the form was distributed as a web based electronic questionnaire, with the method of construction and use of such forms discussed. Unfortunately, only six questionnaires were returned. This may be because participants were asked to first compete the museum information questionnaire and did not realize the evaluation form was a separate document.

Recommendation: Only one questionnaire per workshop per Day: Do not distribute a museum information questionnaire on the same day as a workshop evaluation form, as this may cause confusion.

Most questions on the form used a seven point scale: (1) Very Poor (2) Unsatisfactory (3) Borderline (4) Satisfactory (5) Good (6) Very Good (7) Excellent. Average responses were from 5 (Good) to 7 (Excellent), except for "Knowledge Before" which measured the participants knowledge of the subject area before the workshop which was 2 (Unsatisfactory).

Table 1: Workshop Evaluation

Question	Average Response (1 Very Poor to 7 Excellent)
Content	6
Pace	6
Exercises	5
Relevance	6
Needs	6
Trainer	7
Audio Visuals	6
Room	5
Food	7
Knowledge Before	2
Knowledge After	5
Overall Rating	7

In addition to thenumeric ranking questions there were open ended questions asking for Suggested Changes, Best Features and Worst Features and Comments on the workshop. These are listed in full below.

• Suggested Changes

  • The duration of the workshop. I wish we would have had it for two weeks instead of just one week.

  • Give more time for discussions on general topics (for what we use the computer in our museums, what problems we have, any good advice we have for others) in a different room which allows more interaction. Reason: We very rarely meet each other in the region, and I realized during the tea breaks that there was a lot of areas we can solve problems by sharing experiences. So even that we were here to learn how to make websites, some time may have been dedicated to this sharing of experiences. At 'normal' meetings, this sharing comes naturally, but in a computer room, we get more isolated behind our computers. Also, shifting to a different room sometimes would help relax the eyes and mind after staring at the computer for a long time.

  • Have computers available to us after class to enable us to implement what we learnt in class at the end of each day. 'Practice makes Perfect'.

  • Removing topics like the use of emails and so forth and just concentrate on web designing.

Best Features

• Everything about the workshop.

• Trainer and ICOM/UNESCO representatives were very helpful to answer our questions and refer to our specific situations in our museums.

• Designing the web pages, creating the links in our websites

Worst Features

• About the basic skills needed to develop websites with the basic softwares that we have.

• Long time spent at the computer screen sometimes was a little tiring - suggestion see Nr 4.

• Not actually having enough time to learn on the coding of the website.

• Nothing.

Comments

• see 'museum of Samoa' questionnaire answers.

• Am still thinking about it but you will receive a copy of my report which I will present to my directors when I get back.

• An excellent workshop that must be followed-up in future with a similar one so participants in the Pacific region are in par with the advance electronic technology.

The results show that participants were pleased with the overall workshop. 92% of the participant found that their expectations had been totally met or met, 94% of the participants totally agreed or agreed that the teaching (points 4, 5 and 6 of evaluation form) was clear, 82% found that the material organisation of the workshop (equipment and lectures) was good.

Museum Questionnaire Results

In addition to the workshop questionnaire a survey of the ICT status of the participants museums' was conducted using a computer based form (form appended). Nine completed forms were received.

In addition attendees were invited to make comment. Some were:

• Although the Museum has only one staff member I work within the ... Historic Preservation Office, which has 7 staff members, which all have computers. Initially we were all on a network but that has since collapsed and we have been unable to rectify the problem.

• The Internet is very much an appreciated fortune for our Museum to provide services to the region. However, our Museum need more assistances to provide on the of website as we are on site but not yet completed. Please send us more information on how to improve our website.

• The Fiji Arts Council can now have all winning craft work and artwork since 1965 digitized and stored in case of damage to the artworks. This collection can also be digitized for artwork on certificates, posters etc... Digitizing the whole FAC collection can actually help in terms of exhibiting these photos on line and if we do attract interested buyers, then contact is made on line for further transactions. This is one way that the FAC can create profit and that all IT procedures are done in house rather than hiring out side help which will be at the cost of the FAC. The workshop was excellent Most of all, we were well fed...Thank you to the organizers for hosting us here in Samoa...

• This workshop initiate me to convince the ministry of tourism as well as the educational department to launch a new website for the National Museum. "very good workshop and as well as helpful for us in Tonga to design our Museum website.

• Attending this workshop is part of the initiative to push the Tonga Visitors Bureau to provide for the Cultural Center with the required materials to utilize the new information technology namely The Internet and the World Wide Web. About the workshop it has been very much helpful and very much educational. There is a confidence of being able to set up a website and to maintain such by the acquired knowledge from the workshop. ... However, to really see things move forward, it will be very much appreciated if the co-ordinators from ICOM and ANU put forward some writing proposals in favor of the Tonga National Cultural Center to the Minister of Education an Tourism and also the Director of the Tonga Visitors Bureau.

• The Jean P. Haydon Museum is under the supervision of the American Samoa Council on Arts cultural and Humanities. With Internet the Museum only has one computer and its not connected to the Internet we have to wait our turn after hours or weekends to the computer/Internet But sometimes the Arts Council the staff would help out with Museum. Sometimes its hard to get into the Internet at daytime so we have to wait after work to go on-line. The Museum personnel has to have more training on the Internet instead on relying on Arts Council staff. ...

• It will help provide informations for students who are doing research on history and others. *Link with other Museums re sharing informations and assistance on Museum matters. *Promote understanding and community awareness of the important of Museum for the safe keeping of intangible culture , *Need a follow up training or an advance workshop in the near future. *On-line assistance for those who need assistance on the establishment of web site

• The digitization of our collections where the Museum is currently working on. This would provide easy access to local and overseas researchers to our collections. Internet is a totally new medium to tiny Pacific islands therefore I suggest that future workshops on web designing should concentrate primarily on the topic and exclude topics like emails etc. as most working people and institutions in the region and have access to emailing. An excellent workshop. I suggest a follow-up workshop in future for participants to be in par with the electronic technology....

Recommendation for further workshops

Recommendations have been made in content in the report above (and are collected together at the end of the report). Here is an additional recommendation:

Recommendation: Assistant for the Trainer: An assistant competent in Intenet and web technology should be provided to help supervise the practical work, and to relieve the trainer of other tasks. This recommendation was made in the report of the previous workshop, to help supervise the practical work, and to relieve the trainer of photocopying and related tasks. Administrative support was available from ANU and UNESCO staff, but no web trained support staff were available for practical work. The result was a heavy workload for the one trainer and interruption to the flow of the workshop when participants needed additional individual attention.

Conclusion

The evaluation showed that the workshop achieved its objectives. More extra-classroom and discussion activities would relieve the stress of the intensive computer work. An objective measure of the participants prior computer skills would be useful. Participants clearly had a positive experience which they believe will be of value in their institutions.

Summary of Recommendations