Perspective Chapter: Digitalization of Museums and Academic Benefits for Tourists (Slemani Museum as Case)

Abstract

New inventions of technology can become necessary means for museums. In the last decades, museums have used new technology more than ever to reach out to visitors worldwide. Online workshops in museums have shown that visitors at the museums want to use digital tools and interactions to search for information on the archeological pieces of museums. Museums are constantly trying to achieve their long-term goals for digitalization. Museums are part of these institutions that can use various technology to compete and provide their information for archeologists and readers who are keen to learn cultural heritage and archaeology. Because technological diversity is the way to make museums more attractive and more affordable, as well as easier access to information. The Slemani Museum has started the digitalization of its archeological pieces. In this regard, this study attempts to explain the methods and the benefits of digitalization and their future efforts to use technology in other areas of the museum. A key question that leads this study is: what are the strategic advantages of digitalization of Museums such as Slemani Museum?

1. Introduction

In this era of rapid technological progress and change, the digital revolution with its amazing innovations gives different tools and opportunities to different institutions around the world to do their jobs more effectively and share their important information easily. So that, everyone can access information that was previously just available to experts from the libraries or museums. These constant technological changes and innovations have made institutions compete to adapt to technological innovations while maintaining their unique characteristics. Thus, no organization or institution will be immune to the changes caused by technological innovation. Museums and archives are some of the established organizations that will benefit from this technological revolution, but how can museums and archives prepare to adjust digitalization for the future generations? Can they take advantage of the unlimited possibilities that digital technology creates throughout the years? It can be said that technology has provided a golden opportunity to access digital information, photos, recordings, and online publications. Thus, digital technology has significantly increased the ability of individuals to participate and take advantage of the opportunities it has provided. It facilitates allowing institutions to facilitate partnerships and collaborations between institutions because digital technology offers people an organized way to access information ([1], p. 1–3). The effects of technology and digital media have emerged in all aspects of society, economy, and culture in this era. However, the beginnings of the use of technology in the field of art and cultural activities did not have much information about how the content of the online show can encourage people to visit museums ([2], p. 8).

Before technological innovations, museums’ efforts were to direct visitors to physical museums, but these changes brought about by the community of digital platforms allow museums to introduce themselves and provide useful information to people interested in archeological information. In general, smartphones, apps, websites, and social media have changed the way institutions and visitors communicate in a digital world that is cheaper and easier. Museums have had to adapt to this new way of communicating because the new communication tools are more suitable for museum visitors. The latest innovations in smartphones and the place they occupy in people’s lives around the world allow interactions to happen wherever and whenever possible. This is in addition to various other technological innovations and applications in the museum field such as quick response codes (QR codes) augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). They can be used to identify and disseminate archeological information in a more modern and enjoyable way than the old ways of receiving and giving information in museums ([3], p. 25).

This paper attempts to explain the role and importance of contemporary technological innovations in museum management and the introduction of archeological pieces in digital form in one of the museums in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (Slemani Museum). After collecting data and explaining the museum digitization project, the importance and impact of using technological innovations in museum management being discussed. Moreover, the academic benefits of the project are for tourists and archeologists to access information via online services.

2. The importance of museum digitalization

Two decades ago, Since the early 1990s, museums have begun to use the internet and put their information online, although initially, only a small portion of archeological information and images were available on the Internet. Archeological information enthusiasts have been waiting for all the information to be available online. However, museums have had difficulty developing their digital collections due to several laws and factors, including: lack of required resources and information, decisions on the type and quantity of information available, digital technical infrastructure, legal restrictions on museums’ authority and contracts, and operations costs. With all of this, permission to publish information has expanded gradually. The free and online availability of museum information is expected to affect museum activities in terms of time and space. Museums can adopt digital forms to serve visitors by tourists looking for museum information and activities online, thus expanding visits and activities ([4], p. 201–208). Museums were important places for storing and preserving cultural heritage and were important centers for teaching about the history of society by displaying archeological pieces and providing information about the artifacts collected in museums. With the advent of digital technology, the methods of activities of these centers have changed. Learning and access to information through digital museums have become available everywhere through online, websites, and cultural platforms. The digitization of cultural collections will be a rapid change in traditional models of management and access to information related to cultural heritage. The traditional model of museums has been based on a collection of physical objects. Their main task was to preserve the archeological pieces in the museums, catalog them, and develop them scientifically to transfer national and international culture to the public and provide material for scientific research. In the digital age, museums as managers of cultural materials have been able to radically change how culture is managed and produced. Museums should consider building relationships with viewers and users of archeological information digitally, which is economically cheaper for users, but for museum revenue, digital control of museums, community cultural assets, and cultural heritage in museums is likely to be possible it allows museums to generate new revenue and maintain their position as custodians of cultural content and trusted authorities. The traditional model of museums was based on physical objects in a building and was funded by the government. The function of museums has been different from that of the digital era, mainly to preserve and catalog archeological objects and to transmit national and global culture to the general public ([5], p. 1–4).

3. The newest technological trends in the museums

During the COVID-19 pandemic, museums have spent more on technology than before to adapt to people’s needs and safely open their doors to tourists. Some museums are continuing to experiment with the digitization of museums. The most important trends used in the era of new technology are expected to become part of museums in the future.

4. Immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences

Augmented reality offers a near-realistic experience in museums using this technological innovation, which is considered one of the biggest technology trends for museums. It is expected to be used in different fields and in different ways in the future. Augmented reality (AR) is likely to completely change the field of museums and how the world sees them.

5. Self-guided audio tours

The use of self-guided audio developments has increased in the past couple of years, especially after the use of this technology at the Walt Disney Family Museum. These museums use their own voice tour guide app to tell the stories. This is a new way of allowing tourists to use their own devices (for a more hygienic experience). On the other hand, the rent of sound equipment is removed from the museum. Museums that have used this technology are trying to make more use of it in the future by adding more information to their apps [6].

6. Museums trends shaped by the virtual reality (VR) culture

Virtual reality is a technological innovation that completely changes the way we look at things. You feel like you are in a certain place when you are not really there. This technological trend is used by museums and is likely to affect how they work. Imagine being able to virtually enter the majestic world of an art painting or learn about your country’s history at home through the use of virtual reality. Museums can take advantage of these endless technological innovations in different ways.

7. Quick response codes (QR codes) galore

Quick response codes are a simple but important piece of technology for museums. By scanning this code on the museums’ artifacts that use this new trend of technology, visitors can get the necessary information about the archeological pieces in the museum. Clearly, some of these technological trends are related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Others are generally applicable. In both cases, it is clear how these technological trends are affecting the development of the museum and museum industry [6, 7].

8. Online access and display of images

Museum websites are one of the most widely used methods of accessing images and information. Users can directly collect specific information and images related to archeological objects. Especially online access to digital collections may be able to be used as an innovation to reach museum visitors. Because it often increases access to relevant information, it complements the physical experiences of museum visitors. Perhaps, museums offer more information, higher-quality images, and more in-depth research and articles. These digital websites are designed online for seekers of museum photographs and information and have two features. Searching for photographs and information is easier and less expensive, or downloading photographs from museum websites is generally free. With this, museums should adapt to this digital investment model and aim to promote the collection of art and artifact pieces for their museums and increase visitor numbers. In some circumstances, museums may need to rely on a variety of technological protection measures, such as visible watermarks, disabling copy features, and saving them to their websites when necessary ([5], p. 11).

9. Historical background of Slemani museum

The Slemani Museum was established in 1961 and remains open to the public. After the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, it is academically the most significant museum in Iraq. The museum staff runs an education department, with a visitor program that engages with local schools, and scientific laboratories for documentation, conservation, and analysis of ancient materials. It is currently considered the second-largest museum in Iraq, the museum has about 60,000 artifacts that show visitors the history of different historical stages of Mesopotamia and will be an important scientific resource for archeologists and academics in the field of archaeology. The number of these artifacts is constantly increasing because archeological teams are continuously conducting excavations in different archeological sites and the artifacts found are returned to the Slemani Museum. It shows the archeological collections of all Mesopotamian civilizations with unique artifacts from the Stone Age to the Islamic and Ottoman periods. On the fiftieth anniversary of its establishment, the master plan for the development of the Slemani Museum has been complemented with collaboration of UNESCO guaranteeing the museum’s future as a vibrant cultural force in Kurdistan and Iraq. In 2011, a museum modernization project was launched with the assistance of UNESCO and the European Union. This includes: enhancing organization and management, educational programs, care and registration of collections and their restoration, and expansion of museum buildings and design of exhibits [8]. Slemani Museum, the second largest museum in Iraq, through exhibitions of their museum artifacts highlights the richness and cultural heritage of the region and Iraq in general. Including cuneiform masterpieces dating back to the 3rd Millennium BC. In partnership with UNESCO work on improving its management and education confirms UNESCO’s commitment to making the Slemani Museum “a true regional landmark in the field of museology.” In 2013, a pioneering initiative was launched by UNESCO with financial support from Sulaimani Governorate and the European Union through the UNDG Iraq Trust Fund. Modernization of Slemani Museum with the aim of taking the Slemani Museum into the 21st century, this project is considered to be one of the best projects of advanced museums [9, 10]. The museum consists of four halls, the prehistoric period hall (Figure 1), Paikuli Gallery Hall (Figure 2), the hall of writings or cuneiform writing (Figure 3), Warka period to the Ottoman Period Hall (Figure 4) with a specific section for children, which is called Slemani Museum Kids (Figure 5).

Figure 1.

The prehistoric gallery at the Slemani museum, Iraq Kurdistan. https://trek.zone/en/iraq/places/166781/sulaymaniyah-museum

Figure 2.

Paikuli Gallary Sulaimani museum. https://www.pukmedia.com/EN/Home Slemani museum. The second largest museum in Iraq 26-8-2021.

Figure 3.

Writing and cuneiform tablet gallery. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ Slemani museum - picture of Slemani museum, Sulaymaniyah.

Figure 4.

Warka period to the ottoman period hall: https://slemanimuseum.org/default.aspx

Figure 5.

Kids Museum in Slemani Museum 2023 https://www.facebook.com/Slemanimuseum.org. 26-02-2018.

9.1 The prehistoric hall

It is one of the largest museum halls devoted to displaying artifacts dating back to prehistoric times. These artifacts have been found mainly in archeological excavations in Kurdistan and Iraq and show the entire history of ancient Mesopotamia.

9.2 Paikuli gallery

It is one of the museum’s newest galleries in 2019 sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. This gallery consists of inscribed.

The Pakuli inscription was the text of the Parthian and Middle Persian inscriptions written on the stone blocks of the walls of the Paikuli tower. These inscribed stone blocks were found in southern Kurdistan/Iraq near the Barkal village in Sulaimani province, these stone blocks are now on display in a special hall in the Slemani Museum, which is called Paikuli Gallery. Stone blocks from the time of the Sassanian king Narseh around 293 AD. The Slemani Museum is a collection of inscribed stone blocks, including many newly discovered ones of the commemorative monument of the Sassanian king Narseh.

All the halls display archeological pieces and present the complete history of different periods of Mesopotamian civilization. The prehistoric hall contains archeological pieces dating back to the prehistoric period to the Abbasid period. The most important museum artifacts are displayed in this hall. Previously, a large number of archeological pieces were numbered with IM labels, but now with the beginning of the first step of digitizing the museum, all the pieces of the museum have been labeled with the SM label Slemani Museum.

10. Warka period to the ottoman period hall

Museum artifacts made of clay and pots displayed in this hall from the Warka period, which dates back about 9000 years to the archeological pieces of the Ottoman period [11].

10.1 Slemani museum kids

It is one of the new sections of the Slemani Museum and was opened in 2019. The aim of this section is to provide archeological information to children. The museum hall has many educational and exhibition facilities for children. It is considered the first archeological museum for children in Iraq. One of the programs of the museum to disseminate archeological information among different sections of society is to establish contacts with schools, according to a joint program of the museum and schools. Students and teachers of different stages will visit the museum according to a visit schedule determined by the museum. After giving a scientific seminar about the artifacts in the museum, with the help of several archaeologists of the museum staff, the visiting students will visit all the sections of the museum in order to get the necessary information [11].

11. The method of technology that Slemani museum starts to use in the nearest future

Presenting archeological information through digital museums has brought other options as a result of the conversion from analog to digital. The difference between the museums of the 21st century and those of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries was that they were systematized and fully organized in the 19th century. Twentyfirst-century museums are distinguished by trying to use the most technological innovations to display archeological pieces in museums and preserve their artifacts. Museum websites and digital archives are new dimensions in the way of practically looking at a unified story ([12], P. 26–28). Today, in the age of technological advances, museums are trying to display fewer of their artifacts in interaction, but rather present their display environments with the help of video, photography, and film technology. Museum websites and accounts have attracted all kinds of visitors from all groups and ages as interactive screens supported by technological innovations. In the context of modern museums, they can nowadays be considered places of life that produce information about different aspects of life from ancient times of human life to the present modern era. At the same time, they show and evaluate the history of different material objects around us. Their goal is to communicate information to all sections of society through educational activities ([13], p. 546). The technological method that Slemani Museum will use is an online access and display of images through the museum’s website and Facebook account. Access to images and archeological information on museum websites is one of the most common and direct ways to use digital innovations. Through websites, museums communicate products and information to website visitors in a simple way. Thus, electronic evolutions have become a complete electronic experience. The relationship between museums and websites is positive and important for museum professionals and museum visitors. Through their websites, museums can attract visitors into museums thus visitors to physical museums should feel similarly inspired to visit museum websites. Museum visitors can use websites as a bridge to connect their activities before their visit. The purpose of the visit is to learn more and get more information about this museum. If visitors accomplish these steps, feedback results will increase visitor rates and overall satisfaction. Building this relationship as well as encouraging museum visitors to make museum websites part of their daily lives and designing museum websites that complement physical museums can be difficult. It is important to know how museum professionals can use these websites to build stronger relationships with museum visitors before and after their visits ([14], p. 337–339). The Slemani Museum has begun its initial steps of digitization, which initially required all archeological pieces to be data with museum codes and separation numbers. More than fifty percent of their work has been completed in data. Electronic codes for museum artifacts are one of the most important tasks because they are used to identify archeological artifacts in the name of the Slemani Museum. It is used as an electronic identity card to protect museum artifacts from theft, looting, and smuggling. That will be part of the museum’s digitization project in the future. Online and digital exhibitions are one way to attract visitors and build strong relationships between museums and their visitors. These projects end old barriers to access and eliminate time and space restrictions that historically restricted artifacts and collections to public museums and private galleries. Using digital surrogates archeologists and museum visitors have been able to interact with diverse collections regardless of place or time [15]. Slemani Museum has used its website and accounts to attract more tourists, especially after implementing a joint program between museums and schools to teach students about archaeology, museums, and the history of Mesopotamian civilizations. The number of museum visitors has increased significantly, especially since the end of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of visitors to the museum in 2022 increased to more than 24,000 people. The largest number of visitors are university and school students, people who want to spend time, and archeological enthusiasts. Some of the visitors were familiar with the history of the archeological pieces in the museum through digital websites and accounts before going to the museum. These digital websites motivated them to visit the museums physically. With the start of the initial steps of the museum digitization project and the use of websites and accounts, the staff of the museum has noticed an increase in the number of visitors, especially university students and academics in archeology and historical subjects. According to the staff and archeologists in the museum, they expect the number of visitors to increase unexpectedly after the completion of their project and the digitization of the archeological pieces of the museum and have online visitors worldwide. Since they plan to upload a high-quality photograph of each of museum’s artifacts with a full description of the era, civilization, and artistic style of the archeological piece with the number and code of the Slemani Museum into the website of the museum (like Figures 6 and 7), archeologists and academics can easily obtain basic information about the museum and its artifacts, even if they are far from the museum or even from another country or region of the world.

Figure 6.

A Jemdet Nasr period stamp.

Figure 7.

A coin of the Sassanid period. Sulaimani museum 2023.

12. Conclusion

As it is experienced, the relationship between museums and museum websites is complimentary. This is mostly explained by online and physical visitors to museums. They visit the museum websites before or after visiting the museums and have high expectations met after accessing the information. It is important for museum professionals to understand that the needs of visitors, whether visiting an online or local museum, change with the changing times and technological advances ([14], p. 337–339). According to Navarrete [4], digital technology allows the rediscovery of communities through new applications of digital technology in different fields. Museums are implementing digital applications in order to develop new products and services. The use of digital technology in a large museum requires more resources than in a small museum, especially in practical work. Therefore, a small museum can be more innovative in the use of social media and its own website can create a wonderful environment for the virtual visitors. But the same work for a large museum might take decades. The use of the Internet and digital technologies such as smartphones and virtual reality and the availability of all these technological innovations to the public and archaeological institutions, especially museums, has led to the integration of many different media platforms with museums. They are also a good helper to establish a continuous relationship with tourists and archaeologists and museum enthusiasts. Especially during the global crises, it appears how important these websites, such as during COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, it is important for museums to see how they change their ways to reach their visitors. One of the characteristics of the digital museum is that the actions of museums and visitors are limited. Using different technologies of QR-Codes, VR, and AR, they give unique experiences that are not repeated. The ultimate goal of the museums in the use of digital websites, along with attracting visitors, is to distribute information and educational experience of the physical museums in common and different units belonging to the museums ([3], p. 31–34). The Slemani Museum at the beginning of their efforts to digitize the museum, one of their goals is to distribute educational and academic experiences for visitors and archeologists, especially through their websites and accounts. By providing information about their museum artifacts and historical information, they have attracted the attention of tourists and facilitated archaeological researchers to obtain the necessary information. This is clear especially in many museums of countries, such as Iraq and countries that are in war zones and they have not stable security situations, that they cannot display all the archeological pieces either in the physical museums or on websites due to public security. But the use of websites helps museums to attract attention. Archeological academy, which is a major motivation for researchers to visit the museum and receive information directly from experts in museums regarding the Slemani Museum, their joint programs with schools and visits to different stages and children’s departments in museums, known as the children’s museum, are two important factors to attract tourists to their museums. On the other hand, the Slemani Museum, the museum’s library, the museum artifacts, and information on archeological pieces uploading on their website became important sources for archeological and ancient history researchers. They are also a factor in attracting the attention of foreign archeological teams to come to Kurdistan and obtain permission to excavate archeological excavations in the archeological sites of Kurdistan. Eventually, by returning their archeological pieces to the Slemani Museum, they will increase the number of their museum artifacts on a regular basis and will be new sources for researchers. All of these actions are easier to do with the digitalization of the museum and attract more tourists. Both types of visitors, such as tourists or visitors with the aim of academic and scientific activities, display new archeological pieces discovered in the latest work of the region.

Finally, it was a study on the digitalization of the Slemani Museum and its effects and benefits for tourists and academics in the field of archaeology. It has also been an investigation into the obstacles and strategies to use in the management of the digital museum. Because the environment of the digital network with the advancement of technology may change, on the one hand, the museum is constantly increasing the number of archeological pieces due to the continuous archeological excavations in the region and returning archeological pieces to the museum. This is how to update information on the latest pieces of archeological sites on museum websites and accounts. It attracts academic attention to further research in the field of Mesopotamian archaeology in general and Kurdistan in particular.