Any Way You Slice “IT”: Managing Technology in the 21st-Century Museum (Audio&Slides)

Any Way You Slice "IT": Managing Technology in the 21st-Century Museum Saturday 23rd November 9:30am to 11:00am Janet Strohl-Morgan Associate Director for Information and Technology, Princeton University Bill Weinstein John H. McFadden and Lisa D. Kabnick Director of Information and Interpretive Technology, Philadelphia Museum of Art Mike Butman @MikeButman Chief Information Officer, The Henry Ford Leo Ballate @LeoBallate SFMOMA Jeff Steward @jeffssteward Director of Digital Infrastructure and Emerging Technology, Harvard Art Museums Following our conference theme of Re:Making the Museum, this panel will review how each of our institutions has scrutinized itself from the inside out and the outside in to emerge as a 21st-century museum--one prepared to give global access to collections in innovative and thought-provoking ways, while instituting methods and systems that are sustainable and maintainable. With each museum having completed strategic planning efforts in recent years, we will discuss how to formulate institutional goals and objectives. A discussion of challenges and solutions will segue into a question-and-answer session. From 2010 to 2012 the Harvard Art Museums overhauled their IT operations, jettisoning most of their physical IT infrastructure, switching to purchasing commodity services from Harvard University, rethinking what IT means for the museums, and transforming the department under the banner of simplicity, openness, and the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Created in 2010, The Henry Ford's strategic plan defines its goals as Relevance, National Awareness, Community Impact, and Sustainability. Legacy technology structures, processes, and thinking are being revamped to the core, and the web, digital experience, and technology itself are no longer the responsibility of IT alone. In 2012, the Philadelphia Museum of Art instituted a new strategic plan focused on engaging our audience, enhancing our visitor experience, activating our collection, and strengthening our commitment to our community. Technology functions were completely rethought. This presentation will cover the planning process, reorganization process, and ongoing challenges. In 2011, the Princeton University Art Museum performed an organizational structure analysis; in October 2013, a museum-wide strategic planning process will be complete. We will review that process, the importance of holistic planning and collaboration among departments, and how Information and Technology relates to other departments. Developed in 2011, the strategic plan for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art led to the creation of a new division of Content Strategy and Digital Engagement. Aligning IT with that division has been a key means of supporting our goals for audience information interface and engagement, with opportunities and challenges along the way.