5 Case Study 1 - Leicester Research Archive - University of Leicester

An interview with an artist for instance, may need different interpretation and
contextualization if it is used in an audio guide for children; it will need to be
edited differently if the target audience is a tourist group, or again differently if
the target group is a group of subject specialists. The technology is not the issue.
The technology allows us to do all this and a whole lot more. On top of it,
technology is becoming easier to handle and cheaper to acquire. However, the
real question is whether the content offered satisfies the needs of users; and
producing a range of different programmes for a range of different target groups,
to a high quality will cost money. This study has not collected any data, which
would allow one to draw conclusions on the question whether podcasts are cheap
alternatives to audio production companies. However, based upon the evidence
collected in CS 1, one can certainly say that the idea that podcasting is a cheaper
solution for museums is an illusion. Considering the fact that many people
interviewed for this study argued that they see podcasting as a cheap way of
producing AV content for their museum, this is an important outcome. It shows
that there are many people who underestimate the complexity behind the
production of AV media. Converting pre-existing audio-tours into podcast
compatible format is possible from a technical point of view. But what this study
has shown is that podcasting as a medium to make art more accessible is not a
technical question. Much rather, as examples of the SFMOMA, the Dulwich, the
Tate, the NG and others have shown, it is a question of selecting appropriate
content and moderating, interpreting and communicating it in terms that non art
experts feel comfortable with. And to produce that type of quality content, one
can say with a high level of certainty, it will not be cheap.
What is the impact of podcasting on the relationship between museums and
audiences?
One of the crucial outcomes of CS 1 was that museums are podcasting because
they want to reach new (particularly young) audiences and that they aim to use
this medium to build sustainable relationships with them. What this study has
shown, though, is that whether podcasting may be an appropriate tool for
audience development in museums is not a question of technology. Yes, CS 2
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