Digital Futures training programme

Image of the Digital Futures 'Interactive Stories' training session

Museum Development Officers run training programmes and provide one-to-one support for museums right across London

In 2018 - 2022, the Digital Futures Programme will excite the London museum sector with the possibilities of digital technologies and digital engagement. Through the training programme, London Museum Development will deliver at least 12 courses each year aimed at developing the digital skills of London's museums. These courses have been designed and tailored for London's museums, based on the feedback from our Training Needs Analysis of the London non-national museum sector (PDF 690kb, opens in new tab). The programme has also been influenced by the findings of the Mendoza Review, Culture is Digital and Digital Culture 2017 reports.

The Digital Futures training programme will take a modular approach, with sessions focused on social media and marketing, digital content creation and digital 'back of house'. Each module will start with a briefing session which will focus on the different skills and literacies needed for museums within each module. You can download a calendar for 2019 - 2020 to see when we will be delivering each module and the types of courses on offer (PDF 354kb, opens in new tab). You can apply for a place on these courses below, or directly through our booking form.

Digital Futures training sessions

Making Basic Budget Museum Interactives
Friday 20 September, 12 - 4pm
Museum of London, London Wall

The aim of this training is to show museum and cultural heritage professionals how to make a free, basic digital interactive for their museum. These interactives can be used for a variety of things, from gallery tours to learning activities. We will look at examples of interactive, and discuss how museums and galleries can use interactive story telling within their spaces. By the end of the session, delegates will have the tool-set to create their own basic interactive to be used both in-house and online. All you’ll need is a laptop and PowerPoint, and a few stories you’d like to tell! Download a full course outline (PDF 182kb, opens in new tab). Please use our online form to book a place.

An Introduction to Live Streaming
Tuesday 22 October, 1 – 4pm
Museum of London, London Wall

Live streaming is a fantastic way to engage with audiences who can’t physically be in a museum, helping to reach more people and engage with them on an interactive and meaningful level. In the past video conferencing involved complicated and expensive kit and a certain level of know-how and expertise. Now, with the advent of live video on social media platforms, it’s easier than ever to use this form of engagement. We’ll be looking at how to set-up live streams at three different levels, for three different kinds of budgets - Easy, Intermediate and Advanced. We will talk through the platforms you can use, the equipment you will need and the different audiences you can reach. You will have the chance to look at, and get hands on with, the three different types of set-ups for these streams and ask questions about how the set-ups work. Download a full course outline (PDF 185kb, opens in new tab). Please use our online form to book your place.

Leading a Digitally Literate Museum
Friday 15 November, 10am - 4.30pm
Museum of London, London Wall

Is your museum leadership team confident when it comes to digital? Are they as digitally literate as our fast-changing world requires? The opportunities around digital culture can be huge but it’s a fast-changing, multi-layered environment that is a challenge for many museums to exploit. A thriving, successful museum needs a digitally literate workforce that understands the ways in which digital technologies, content and culture can best serve their mission. It’s down to museum leadership to create the right conditions to meet those challenges. This one-day workshop will combine strategy, theory and expert insight with practical advice and peer support. Themes covered include:

• Digital literacy - what this means for museums and why it matters
• Mission and purpose - the impact digital culture is having on museums and how to meet the needs of your team, audiences, collections and mission
• Sector developments - how to make the most of new (free) strategic initiatives and resources to support digital development in your setting
• Being experimental - driving evidence-based change through iterative practices to build digital capacity.

This session is open to museums from both the London region and the South East region, based on our usual criteria. Download a full course outline (PDF 187kb, opens in new tab). Please use our online form to book a place.