Centenary Connections: connecting stories of the First World War, Rebecca Bartlett

Rebecca Bartlett,

Centenary Connections: Connecting stories of the First World War

7th November 2014 - UKMW14, Natural History Museum

@beckyammba @nymbol

UKMW14: Museums Beyond the Web

First World War Centenary in Greater Manchester


WW1 Centenary‣ Pre existing group

‣ Greater Manchester Centenary Partnership

‣ Led by Imperial War Museum North

‣ 20+ partners

‣ Physical exhibitions and events throughout Manchester

‣ Cross promotion

‣ What could digital offer?

New Partners and Relationships

Greater Manchester Centenary Partnership‣ Museums & Galleries ‣ IWM North ‣ Manchester Art Gallery ‣ Whitworth Art Gallery ‣ Manchester Museum ‣ MOSI ‣ People's History Museum ‣ Manchester Jewish Museum ‣ National Football Museum ‣ GMP Museum ‣ Salford Museum and Art Gallery ‣ Ordsall Hall ‣ Bolton Library & Museums Service ‣ Bury Fusiliers Museum ‣ Dunham Massey ‣ Bury Museum ‣ Rochdale Pioneers Museum

‣ Libraries & Archives ‣ John Rylands Library ‣ Archives Plus ‣ Greater Manchester Archives ‣ National Co-operative Archive ‣ Working Class Movement Library

‣ Cinemas & Theatres ‣ Cornerhouse ‣ The Lowry ‣ Contact Theatre ‣ Royal Exchange ‣ The Altrincham Garrick

‣ Councils ‣ Oldham Council ‣ Trafford Council ‣ Tameside Council ‣ Salford Community Leisure ‣ Touchstones Rochdale ‣ Stockport Council


The Aims

‣ Create a coherent, strong offer for Greater Manchester

‣ Encourage curiosity and exploration

‣ Develop new audiences and increase footfall

‣ Explore new ways of working collaboratively across the city region

‣ Audience: families and young people

‣ Content connections across organisations


How we worked with them

‣ Workshops

‣ Defining objectives and deliverables

‣ Visitor figures vs. in-depth engagement

‣ Breaking down boundaries - teams

‣ Learning

‣ Marketing

‣ Exhibitions

‣ Curatorial

‣ Content development

‣ Funding, budget & timescales


Centenary Connections The app & website


Technology Overview

‣ Mobile app (iOS & Android)

‣ Website

‣ Content management

‣ Download at centenaryconnections.org





‣ App only

‣ Logbook

‣ Vault


Web based content management

‣ Easy to use cms for physical objects

‣ Connecting content

‣ Publish across multiple platforms

‣ Collaborative content development


The Challenges

https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterarchiveplus/10709055045/in/set-72157637381045694


https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterarchiveplus/10709055045/in/set-72157637381045694

Engagement and Communications

‣ Learning, Marketing, Exhibitions, Curatorial, Retail at IWM and

over 20 partners

‣ Range of organisations & departments, activities, resources,

expertise, time & priorities

Top Tips ‣ Offer partners opportunities for shaping things

‣ Lead organisation needs to step in with content

‣ Clear agreed objectives


Creating a Coherent Whole

Challenges

‣ Finding engaging narratives

‣ Range of items – landmarks, letters, photos etc

‣ Huge range of content submitted

Top Tips ‣ Spend time creating the narratives

‣ Write guidelines for creating content

‣ Small team from lead organisation to oversee

‣ Create style guide for the future


The Impact


Content connections

=

Greater Manchester County Record OfficeTouchstones Rochdale

Tank Bank


Wilfred Owen & William

=

Museum of the Manchester RegimentIWM North

Content connections


Results

‣ New resources ‣ New website and app, on average:

‣ 12+ downloads a day since launch

‣ 16 page views a day since launch

‣ Marketing and PR opportunities

‣ New patterns of working ‣ Developed internal relationships between departments

‣ Created new relationships between over 20 organisations

‣ staff, audiences, collections

‣ Created new relationship with TfGM and their users


Getting it out there…

‣ Social Media (sharing from the app)

‣ Transport for Greater Manchester

‣ Individual organisation promotion

‣ PR

‣ Conferences / meetings / forums


Press Coverage


Where next?

‣ iPad purchased for on gallery use by volunteers

‣ Incentive to move forward WiFi

‣ Further content development

‣ Driving footfall to organisations through logbook

‣ Key promotional opportunities for 2015

‣ Template for other cultural & heritage organisations


Thank you

www.centenaryconnections.org www.nymbol.co.uk

[email protected] @beckyammba @nymbol


http://www.centenaryconnections.org

http://www.nymbol.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]

Government & Nonprofit

Centenary Connections: connecting stories of the First World War, Rebecca Bartlett