Visitor Views
Audience Journey of the Elderly in Czech Museums: Enhancing Inclusion
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Markéta Nováková, Pavla Pospíšilová
The Czech Republic is experiencing demographic aging, making seniors a key target group in several sectors. Older individuals often have specific needs that change with age. Therefore, it is essential for cultural institutions to be accessible and accommodating, considering their cognitive, sensory, functional, and socio-emotional abilities. As agents of social change, museums and galleries need to adapt to the requirements of elderly visitors. To promote inclusive approaches within museums and galleries, we have developed guidelines for an ideal audience journey that respects the capabilities of cultural institutions while prioritizing the needs of seniors, regardless of their health or social barriers. This research included individual interviews with representatives from Czech museums and galleries, as well as interviews with older visitors to comprehensively map their perceptions while visiting these institutions. The findings highlight specific challenges faced by elderly visitors, such as wayfinding difficulties, issues with immersive elements, and problems navigating websites, which can often be inaccessible due to complex layouts, unclear instructions, and a general lack of usability in digital technologies. Reflecting on these findings, this study offers key recommendations to enhance museum inclusivity. We hope to achieve better inclusion of the elderly in Czech galleries and museums and thus promote active aging and well-being of the elderly, including ourselves in the future.
Featured Reframing Success on Social Media: A Three-year Study of UK Museums
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ellen Charlesworth
There is a prevalent belief in the UK museum sector that posting on social media helps museums reach larger and more diverse audiences. However, recent studies have shown that museums’ online audiences are generally no more diverse than their on-site counterparts. Our research analyses over 3,400 UK museums’ social media accounts over two years to investigate why this is the case. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we use statistical analysis alongside supporting interviews with museum professionals to ask which digital strategies work. Moving beyond the strategies of ‘superstar’ museums with large digital teams and significant resources at their disposal, we explore how social media success may look across the entire sector. After outlining general trends in the data, we will spotlight the successes and innovative practices of two groups of museums: those based in rural Scotland and transport museums. These two examples saw – somewhat unexpectedly – large and highly engaged international audiences throughout the pandemic. By looking in-depth at their online offering, we explore how they were able to cultivate an open dialogue with online audiences and converted online engagement into on-site visits. Situating these examples in lessons from the wider sector, we aim to provide clear takeaways for museums and outline a different model of social media success.
Inclusive Science Education and Inclusive Museums: Museum Educators’ Perspectives and Practices
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Senem Bas
As museums increasingly position themselves as inclusive civic institutions, questions remain about how these commitments are enacted at the level of educational practice. This qualitative multiple case study explores how museum educators conceptualize and implement inclusion in science education within informal learning environments. Drawing on sociocultural learning theory, the study views inclusion as a dynamic, context-dependent practice shaped by institutional culture, educator identity, and broader social discourses. Data is collected from U.S.-based, AAM-accredited museums with active science learning programs and publicly stated commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Participants include museum educators directly involved in the design or facilitation of science programming. Methods include semi-structured interviews, document analysis (e.g., mission statements, DEI plans), and researcher memos. Cross-case thematic data analysis examines how inclusion is defined, how it evolves across institutional contexts, and what supports or constrains its implementation. The findings suggest that while institutional language around inclusion is often broad and aspirational, educators articulate more grounded, relational understandings based on their day-to-day interactions with visitors. The study contributes to both museum studies and informal science education by centering practitioner voices, identifying structural barriers to inclusive practice, and offering evidence-based recommendations for aligning policy with pedagogy.
