In partnership with the Marcus Institute for Digital Education in the Arts (MIDEA), the NMC is pleased to release the NMC Horizon Report > 2011 Museum Edition. This report, the second in the NMC Horizon Project Museum series, examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in education and interpretation within the museum environment. 

The official release of the print version of the report is occurring at 4 pm EST in a showcase session at the 2011 Museum Computer Network Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The international composition of the advisory board reflects the care with which a global perspective for the report was assembled. While there are many local factors affecting the adoption and use of emerging technologies in museums, there are also issues that transcend regional boundaries and questions we all face.

The NMC Horizon Report > 2011 Museum Edition identifies six emerging technology topics, as well as key trends and critical challenges, through a research process designed and conducted by the NMC with the 2011 Museum Advisory Board. This international body of luminaries in the museum, education, and technology sectors engaged in a discussion based on a set of research questions intended to surface significant trends and challenges and to identify a broad array of potential technologies. This report details the areas in which these experts were in strong agreement.

This year’s NMC Horizon Report identifies tablet computing and mobile apps as technologies expected to garner mainstream adoption in the near-term horizon of one year or less. Augmented reality and electronic publishing make up the mid-term horizon of two to three years, while digital preservation and smart objects round out the far-term horizon of four to five years.

“Museums worldwide are using the report as a strategic technology planning tool,” noted NMC CEO, Larry Johnson. “It is our hope that the report itself is the beginning of processes for museums and stimulates dialogs and discussions across the museum sector.”

The NMC Horizon Report > 2011 Museum Edition is available for free online under a Creative Commons license to facilitate its widespread use, easy duplication, and broad distribution.

> Download the free report