Microsoft Libraries and Museums Podcast

Microsoft's Catherine Devine and host Emily Kotecki use the themes from Season Three to imagine the future of mixed reality and the metaverse for libraries and museums. Plus, this is the end of the Microsoft Libraries and Museums Podcast! All episodes are available wherever you listen to your podcasts. Thanks for tuning in from around the world! Episode Resources

The Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport has teamed up with the Athens Olympic Museum and Microsoft to create multi-platform, multi-site immersive experiences for visitors. The exhibition 'Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds' uses mixed reality, plus a mobile and a desktop to bring the site of Ancient Olympia to life. Dr. Erofili Kolia, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport, and Dr. Elina Pechlivanidi from the Programs and Collections department...

Sometimes augmenting an experience doesn't mean virtual reality or immersive rooms. It can also mean using the technology that best fits the experience. In this case at the USS Midway, Mark Berlin, Director of Operations, and Jeff Danziger, North America Sales Director for Guide-ID, leverage the tried, true, and very successful audio guides aboard the ship to enhance the visitor experience. Listen to their story of audio guide hardware to mobile and back again after seeing visitors choose...

Toby Coffey, Head of Digital Development has been pioneering immersive and technological experiences at the National Theatre in London since 2006. Most recently, his team created a mixed reality musical performance called All Kinds of Limbo. When the pandemic hit, they received grant funding and used the opportunity to democratize access to the show by creating ways for audiences to experience it on three different platforms. Join this conversation as we take a step outside museums and...

A visitor walks into a 13th century Italian castle and UNESCO Heritage site. The walls are bare. They poke around for a few seconds then walk out. That was then. Now, with a new mixed reality experience developed by Hevolus, Infratel, and Microsoft, Castel del Monte has become a HoloMuseum. Visitors can engage with various augmented reality experiences to add layers of information and detail about the castle. Antonio Squeo, Chief Information of Hevolus, shares the details of this...

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles was one of the first public locations for visitors to use a HoloLens headset in 2015. Since then, they've continued to use mixed reality to drive attendance and enhance the visitor experience. Michael Bodell, Chief Operating Officer at the Petersen shares their journey as well as what technology they're experimenting with now to better 'future-proof' their museum. Plus, commentary by Microsoft's Catherine Devine. Episode resources:

In preparation for moving to a new library building and separate storage space, the National Library of the Netherlands is embarking on a series of experiments to digitally engage with their collection. In one particular experiment, Karin Vingerhoets, Curator of the Children's Books Collection, and Martijn Kleppe, Head of the Research Department, joined forces to create a virtual reality experience of four children's pop-up books. In this episode, Karin and Martijn share why libraries are a...

In 'Revealing Krishna: A Journey to Cambodia's Sacred Mountain,' visitors learn about a 1,500 year old sculpture of the God Krishna through multiple digital experiences ranging from 360-degree immersive cinematic video to HoloLens to holograms. Jane Alexander, Chief Digital Information Officer and Sonya Rhie Mace, George P. Bickford Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, collaborated closely to bring these experiences to life. In this episode, they share...

There's a revolution happening in university libraries that is changing the way they increase access to physical and digital collections, support professors, engage students, and redefine scholarly products. Matt Cook, Digital Scholarship Program Manager at Harvard Library, is part of that "evolution revolution" and shares two examples of how they're innovating for the future. Plus, commentary by Microsoft's Catherine Devine. Show links: TranscriptHarvard Widener LibraryMatt Cook

"Museums create that bridge to humanity. So the more we learn about their collections and the stories, the more that we can learn about ourselves and each other." Ryan Gaspar is Director of Strategic Partnerships at Microsoft. Part of his role includes working with museums to create mixed reality experiences that enhances the visitor experience. In this conversation we talk about the importance of the branded museum in today's experience economy and how to authentically create engaging...

"Anyone who has read Andersen's fairytales knows that Andersen fairytales is not about ending up with facts. It's about ending up with a sense of wonderment and it's about the play that goes on...so we wanted to create a place that that was much more telling the story like Andersen." The Hans Christian Andersen House in Odense, Denmark, just reopened over a five year renovation. In addition to creating a space that reflects the playful nature of fairytales, the museum has also created a...

Season three of the Microsoft Libraries and Museums podcast will share stories from around the world of how institutions are experimenting and innovating with mixed reality. As a field, we are continually pioneering new ways to make and strengthen those connections. With the power of augmented and virtual reality; immersive spaces and 360 video, we are elevating what a visitor experience can be and where it can happen. Join us this season as we explore new worlds, new realities, and new...

"It took a crisis - doesn't always need to take the crisis - but it took a crisis to for museums and libraries to realize they can really reach large audiences...be creative and...[achieve] more of the mission of the organization." Catherine Devine, Global Business Strategy Leader for Libraries and Museums at Microsoft, reflects on the trends and ideas that emerged in season two. Full interview transcript: https://bit.ly/373XrG8

"There are a number of ways that libraries are integrating technologies to optimize the user experience, reduce costs, and make buildings more energy efficient." While the opportunities and benefits of adopting smart building technology are plentiful, libraries and museums are still nascent in this aspect of digital transformation. Janice Kung, Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, shares a prototype she created around monitoring noise levels and a vision for the...

Machine learning "allows us to tell richer stories with our collection because cognitive services can find patterns and can do things with a collection that would be time prohibited for a human being to do." Dave Evans, Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Technology at the Computer History Museum, is leveraging machine learning to enrich how his museum shares its collection. Evans demystifies the technology, shares how any cultural organization can be begin adopting it, and what...

"We all decided we were going to harness this moment to see how we could make it into an opportunity to think differently about our practice." Dr. Helen Charman, Director of Learning and National Programs at the Victoria and Albert Museum, focused on creativity in a crisis. When COVID-19 hit, her team transformed how they reached audiences beyond the walls of the museum. The result has been so successful it's changed the way they work moving forward. Listen to their story plus commentary...

"If we're talking about the Great Data Transformation of museums in 2020 and beyond, what we're talking about is this change in a more contemporary leadership style, which has more data, less process, and more empowerment for our teams." Angie Judge, CEO of Dexibit, explains what she sees as the Great Data Transformation of the cultural sector to ensure a more agile and empowered future. Plus, commentary by Microsoft's Catherine Devine. Read the full interview transcript:...

"How do you pivot on a dime in today's world when the technology has locked you into silos, so you can't get the data out around it?" Neal Bilow, CEO and Founder of Terentia, sees a new future for collections and digital asset management systems that moves away from bespoke development, leverages data, and drives audience engagement. Plus, commentary by Catherine Devine. Read the full interview transcript: https://bit.ly/3qhKDVm

"Ticketing and fundraising pay for digital transformation. They are the revenue engine which provides the platform of funding for everything else that you want to do." Erin Lively Koppel, Chief Strategy Officer at Tessitura Network, reflects on the changing landscape of ticketing and fundraising as a result of the pandemic. She also shares how libraries and museums can adapt to these changes and prepare for a new financial future. Plus, commentary by Microsoft's Catherine Devine. Read the...

"What's the most flexible and scalable way that we can expose our collections to the world?" Before Jen Looper studied computer language, she received her PhD in Medieval French literature. And while she may have jumped from French to JavaScript, she has always remained interested in supporting arts and culture through tech. Jen is the Cloud Advocate Lead at Microsoft and shares her vision for how cloud can support increasing access to more collections around the world. Plus, commentary by...