Review of Chapter 4

Chapter four explores the representation of knowledge in museums, problems inherent in representing that knowledge, and the ways in which the objectives of museums have changed with the widespread use of sophisticated computer equipment among the general public. The way that a museum represents knowledge is dependent on several factors including its internal objectives, which relate to its mission statement, the needs of the public and researchers, as well as the importance of standardizing the process so that museums can share information among themselves.

Knowledge representation refers to the ways in which museums store and organize information. How a museum represents knowledge is linked to the goals of the specific institution. For example, a museum may want the information to be accessible to the general public and not be presented in a way that is incomprehensible or intimidating to the lay person, while at the same time retaining vital information about the object, such as its original cultural context, or scientific measurements, that may be useful to researchers. Because of the varied objectives of museums, cataloging and storing information presents unique challenges. There is currently no standard protocol for museum knowledge representation. Attempts at adopting systems used by libraries have mostly been unsuccessful because of the inherent differences in cataloging books and cultural objects. One obvious difference between books and objects is that books have a title page that gives all of the information needed to systematically categorize and organize information about them. On the other hand, objects can only be identified by the information that is known about them, and this knowledge is often limited which leads to difficulty in categorization.

Another aspect that the article briefly discusses is the sharing of knowledge among museums. Historically, museums have not shared information with each other. This seems to be antithetical to the role museums claim to play in our culture. As the article states, the goal of museums is as all encompassing as representing all of human knowledge and interpreting that knowledge. If there is no communication among museums this goal can never be fully realized. It is for this reason that museums must find some way to standardize their protocol on knowledge representation. Communication among museums, as well as partnerships with information specialists and software designers, should become the standard for museums so that a solution to these problems can be found.

Arguably one of the most important changes in museum knowledge representation stems from the advances in computer technology in the last twelve years. With the advent of cheap, sophisticated computer equipment and high speed Internet, the role that computers play in representing knowledge to the public has become primary. A carefully developed website can help a museum accomplish its mission by offering high quality images and information to the general public and researchers alike. Additionally, the multi-media capability of today’s computers can serve to enhance knowledge through video lectures and other multi-media presentations.

In conclusion, it may be possible for museums to accomplish the objective of representing all of human knowledge and interpretation of that knowledge by working with computer scientists and software designers to standardize the protocol for knowledge representation. Additionally, museums can further accomplish their missions through the use of technology to represent knowledge to the public and researchers. By working together and including other disciplines such as computer and library science, museums may eventually reach the ultimate goal of representing the whole of human knowledge.