Research

My primary area of research is museum informatics, which explores the sociotechnical interactions between people, information, and technology in museums. Read more about museum informatics...

While the majority of my research is focused on museums and museum professionals, my work has implications for a wide range of information organizations, including libraries, archives, and museums. Within that framework, my research is divided into three topic areas, as outlined below; please follow the links for more information and sample publications.

Evolution of Sociotechnical Systems and Collaborative Work Practices

Cultural heritage organizations, including libraries, archives, and museums, can benefit from using the theories and principles of computer-supported cooperative work to examine the impact of new information technologies on collaborative work processes. This research focuses on studying the evolution of technical systems as they shape and are shaped by social structures already in place in cultural heritage organizations. Read more about collaborative work...

Digital Convergence and the Evolving Roles of Information Professionals

Libraries, archives, and museums face shared information needs and challenges in the information age, including the overlapping educational goals of LIS, archival studies, and museum studies programs, and areas of convergence for educators and professionals working to meet changing user needs and expectations. The goal of this research is to prepare information professionals to transcend the boundaries between libraries, archives, and museums to meet user needs in the information age. Read more about information professionals...

Involving Users in the Co-construction of Digital Knowledge

Information professionals in libraries, archives, and museums have responded to the web 2.0 world of user-created content by offering their users social computing tools that allow them to tag collections, annotate objects, and otherwise contribute to the knowledge base of the institution. My research in this area looks at the future of social computing for libraries, archives, and museums, and examines the trends and long-term implications of involving users in the co-construction of knowledge online. Read more about involving users...