Many modern and contemporary art museums are including into their permanent collections works of art that are born digital. This solvathon seeks to address strategies for the proper physical ingest, descriptive practices, and necessary metadata structures to fully contextualize and realize the proper acquisition, preservation, and dissemination of born digital works of art.

This session will continue the discussion subsequent to the 39th Annual Museum Computer Network Conference panel, “Philosophical Leadership Needed for the Future: Digital Humanities Scholars in Museums.” This crowdsourced panel will present 1-5 minute video responses from an open call to the community of professionals in archives, libraries, museums and universities as they reflect on the barriers and benefits of implementing digital humanities methodologies in museums. THATCamp MCN participants are encouraged to contribute a video to the panel via YouTube prior to the Museum Computer Network and THATCamp conferences. This general discussion seeks to further explore how the progress made by digital humanities scholars can guide museum workers as they serve constituents in a new media culture.

Follow the link above to the panel page on the Museum Computer Network Conference site for more information about how to participate. Contact me by e-mail at or on Twitter @nealstimler if you have any questions about the Museum Computer panel or the THATCamp general discussion.

We’ve decided to add four workshops to the schedule for THATCamp MCN. I’ll be teaching Introduction to Omeka, and Patrick Murray-John will be teaching Advanced Omeka. See the workshops page for more information. I’m also looking for two more instructors who’d be willing to share their knowledge of particular technology skills — write me at if you’d like to teach something, or if there’s something particular you’d like to learn.

Also, if you or anyone you know (impoverished graduate students?) needs travel funds, be aware that you can apply for a $500 Kress Fellowship until August 1. As August progresses, I’ll be soliciting session proposals from all participants. Cheers!

Registrations for THATCamp Museum Computer Network are now open! See our registration page for more information about registration and a link to the registration form. Additional information about location, transportation, and lodging will be added to this site in the coming weeks.

THATCamps are dynamic experiences. As soon as you register, you can propose a session idea on this blog, and we’ll post a loose session schedule by September 1st. These sessions will be fluid, and the schedule may change on the day of the unconference as new conversations begin in other sessions. There are no presentations at an unconference: sessions will instead be collaborative discussions or working sessions that will address issues, problems, joys, and/or opportunities related to technology, museums, collaboration, and/or innovation. See our page on proposing a session for more information about unconference sessions.

THATCamp MCN invites anyone interested in how computers, media, new technology and mobile platforms continue to change the way museums emerge, evolve and operate. ThatCamp MCN will be in Atlanta on Saturday, November 19, 2011.

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