Engaging with Communications

Multimeda Guides - realising their potential

Tuesday 30th March 2010

The Old Fire Station, University of Salford

To celebrate the completion of the mi-Guide project a one day colloquium was held at the University of Salford to share our experiences of developing a hand-held multimedia guide and also to debate with others how such guides can be effectively deployed and further developed. Multimedia Guides provide visitors with a more personalised and enhanced explanation of exhibits on show and can be used to provide audio commentary, video interpretation, and greater access to collections in general. There are however, many practical considerations and issues that need to be considered in the effective exploitation of multimedia guide technology and indeed, in realising their true potential. This therefoe was the focus of our end of project colloquium.

This colloquium featured speakers from the University of Salford, BT, the Museum of Science and Industry and other museums and galleries who shared their experiences gained from developing and deploying multimedia guides. Where incidated you can download a PDF version of the slides that were presented by that speaker.

Programme

• 09:30 – 10:00
• Registration and refreshments

• 10:00 – 10:10
• Welcome and official opening
• Professor Bill Harrison, EPSRC

• 10:10 – 12:15
• Practical experiences of using multimedia guides
• Chair: Dr Kate Booth, University of Salford

• The development of mi-Guide at MOSI
• Professor Nigel Linge, University of Salford

• Pervasive Participation - Location Based Media Provision and Capture
• Andy Gower, BT Innovate Design

• Self-guiding: The Experience of the Royal Institution with hand held PDAs
• Professor Frank James, Professor of the History of Science

• Panel Discussion - the practicalities of multimedia guides

• 12:15 – 13:00
• Lunch

• 13:00 – 14:40
• Taking multimedia guides forward
• Chair: Professor David Parsons, University of Salford)

• mi-Guide beyond the gallery
• Dr Kate Booth, University of Salford

• Your mobile in (and out of) the museum - utilising users' own devices
• Julian Tomlin, Consultant

• Panel Discussion - the future of multimedia guides

• 14:40 – 14:45
• Formal Close
• Professor Nigel Linge, University of Salford

Acknowledgement

We wish to thank the EPSRC for providing funding through the Partnerships for Public Engagement programme to enable the development of mi-Guide. Similarly we wish to acknowledge the contribution and support given by our partners: the Museum of Science and Industry, BT Heritage, the STEM Centre - Greater Manchester, the Centre for Science Education and the City of Salford.

Finally, we also wish to thank the Manchester Network and Headquarters of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Manchester Branch of the BCS – Chartered Institute for IT for promoting this colloquium to their respective memberships.