Hub-and-Spoke Systems for Open Museum Technology will focus on how museums, science and technology centers, and the like-minded community can benefit from an active model designed to promote collaboration, information exchange, and the adoption of open-source applications and technologies. That model is MOSCAR (Museum Open-Source Code and Application Repository), an initiative spearheaded at Liberty Science Center. The presentation will be divided into two sections: the first will explain the disconnect between the stature of museums and their implementation of emerging and socially relevant technologies; the second will focus on devising models for engaging target communities, with our particular instance (which leverages two collaborative platforms: github and forrst) as a demonstration of this multifaceted learning process. We will present relevant examples stemming from this project, which showcase how users can take advantage of its resources: code, applications, tutorials. The presentation will conclude with a call to action, imploring the audience to use and/or contribute to this and other similar endeavors, regardless of technical proficiency or background. Part thesis, part demonstration, and part community discussion, this presentation will contextualize the dearth of museum resources and offer an outlet for reusable, fully distributable content and a support network for conversation and, ultimately, better work.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_IAP8059
