Open Access – RIT Museum Studies

"Open access is extremely important! Allowing people access to collections around the world can completely change the ways we use the collections, the thoughts we have on them, the technology used to interact with them, everything. As we saw with Google Cultural Institute in Museums and the Digital Age earlier in the semester, more access to collections did not decrease attendance to museums, rather it allowed more people to become interested in the collections and use them in ways that supported the missions of both museums and GCI. Open access could inspire the next generation of museum professionals, and the next generation of everyone else too, since art and history and science, three major topics in museums, touch nearly every aspect of one’s life, no matter what profession one has. I am all for open access and wholeheartedly believe that in it lies one of the best features of museums in the years to come."