Museum Informatics and the Evolution of an Information Infrastructure in a University Museum
Marty, Paul Fernand
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/81528
Description
Title
Museum Informatics and the Evolution of an Information Infrastructure in a University Museum
Author(s)
Marty, Paul Fernand
Issue Date
2002
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Twidale, Michael B.
Department of Study
Library and Information Science
Discipline
Library and Information Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Information Science
Language
eng
Abstract
From 1997 to 2002, Spurlock Museum staff members inventoried, packed, and moved their collections from old to new facilities, despite having little experience with any of these tasks. Unable to plan ahead with any confidence, they had to build an information infrastructure to support these activities as they went along, knowing they would inevitably make mistakes in the process. With few resources, little time, and almost no money, they learned as they worked, simultaneously developing an infrastructure capable of supporting their evolving needs. Despite a high rate of errors during the packing process, Spurlock Museum employees were successfully able to track the packing and shipping of their collections with very few critical errors. This study uses ethnographic and qualitative data analysis methods to determine how museum employees developed a useable information infrastructure robust enough to cope with their high rate of errors and flexible enough to evolve along with their constantly changing requirements. The results of this research contribute to our understanding of the development of information infrastructures to support workflow in a variety of organizations, not just museums. It has broader implications for organizations that must develop information infrastructures dynamically in order to support ever-changing and unanticipated needs.
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