Predictably, the first quarter of the 21st century has seen museums significantly transformed by media technology and networked society, yet often this has been viewed as institutions reacting to, rather than leading change. Institutions are now deeply enmeshed in complex technological systems, platforms, and services across all parts of a museum’s operations and practices. Today, the nature of collections themselves is implicated as they are increasingly ‘born digital.’ These shifts all require highly skilled labor, new strategies, policies, and debate to ensure that the transformations serve the museum’s community and long-term interests.

This talk will explore trust, attention, digital memory, ephemerality, and the fragility of new cultural artefacts, and conversely, maintenance, longevity, and the need for bold pan-institutional and sector-wide initiatives, new skills, and literacies.