Digital training

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

Covid-19 Update: Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we will be making changes to our planned training programmes for 2020 - 2021. Where possible our training will be delivered online and, where appropriate, we will edit and refocus the content of our sessions to be relevant for the current situation. You will be able to find our upcoming training sessions below and advertised in our weekly E-Update, which you can find at the bottom of our News page. If we need to make any last minute announcements for London Museum Development events, about event changes or cancellations, we will try to do so via email, but you will also be able to find last minute announcements pinned to the top of our Twitter timeline.

Our current programme of Digital Training will focus on helping museums with their digital activities during the Covid-19 outbreak. You can find recordings of our past training sessions, as well as helpful tutorials, on our YouTube channel. We have so far delivered sessions on Social Media, including 'What can it do for your organisation in lockdown', 'Strategy' and 'Analytics', as well as a session on 'Assessing your Digital Activities'. You can find an up-to-date list of our upcoming sessions below and more training recordings and tutorials will be added to YouTube over the coming months.

All paid and unpaid staff working for non-National (and non-NPO), Accredited museums in the London region are eligible to apply for our training courses. This includes furloughed staff. For further governmental guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and training implications, please click here.

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 2018 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. You can find our latest training sessions towards the bottom of this page and you can find recordings of some of our previous training sessions on our YouTube channel.

YouTube Tutorials

We have developed a number of tutorials and training videos to help you with your digital work. You can find all of our videos on our YouTube channel, from training on editing videos to creating 3D digital models of your collections.

Digital Futures Training Programme, 2020 - 2021

An Introduction to Live Streaming
Friday 29 January, 10:50am - 1pm
Online, via Zoom

Live streaming is a fantastic way to broadcast to audiences who can’t physically be in the museum, helping to reach more people and engage with them on an interactive and meaningful level. As museums went into lockdown, live streaming became a key resource for engaging our audiences remotely. From live streamed talks, to tours, to events – there have been a number of excellent examples of museums using different platforms to broadcast to their audiences. In the past, live streaming involved complicated and expensive kit and a certain level of knowhow and expertise. Now, with the advent of live video on social media, or through platforms like Zoom, it’s easier than ever to use this form of engagement to broadcast to groups. 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 with your broadcasts, with some examples from across the sector. Download a full course outline (PDF 184kb, opens in new tab). Book your place through our online booking form.

Understanding online audiences
Friday 12 February, 10:50am - 1:30pm
Online, via Zoom

This session, delivered by Chris Unitt, will provide an introduction to using digital analytics and user testing within the setting of a museum or gallery. Participants will learn how to collect data and insights using tried and trusted methods, and free and low cost tools.

Participants will be able to use this improved understanding of their online audiences to improve communications, website user experience, and more.

We will cover:

• Google Analytics - how marketers, website managers, and content producers can find the most insightful information
• User testing and surveys - getting feedback from people in person and online

Where possible, we will tailor the contents of the session to the participants. Download a full course outline (PDF kb, opens in new tab). Book your place using our online booking form.

An Introduction to Rights Management
Tuesday 23 February, 10:30am - 12pm
Online, via Zoom

In this bitesize session we will review the Spectrum 5.0 Rights management procedure, which can help your museum manage rights identified in your collection. Managing intellectual property rights is an important aspect of collections management and is becoming increasingly relevant as museums work to get more of their collections online. Delegates will be encouraged to participate by asking questions as well as sharing how they approach the management of rights, for example copyright, at their museum. Download a full course outline (PDF 221kb, opens in new tab). Book your place through our online booking form.

Strategic Marketing Planning
Tuesday 09 March, 10am – 12pm
Online (Zoom)

This online training session will take you through the marketing planning process in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It will help you to refocus on your vision/mission, identifying any ‘mission drift’ and review your plans to ensure they are relevant given the huge disruption we are experiencing. This course will provide clarity on how your purpose informs your planning. It will provide tools and frameworks to structure your strategic marketing planning. Finally, it will provide insight into how to make your planning SMART and agile to respond to a period of disruption. Download a full course outline (PDF 156kb, opens in new tab). Book your place through our online booking form.

Re-engaging with your Audiences
Wednesday 10 March, 10am – 12pm
Online (Zoom)

Take some time to review your audience engagement. Who have you been connecting with during lockdown? Who has slipped through the net? Which new audiences would you like to engage? This workshop will help you think through how you are engaging your audiences, volunteers and community and identify new ways to build relationships with them. Christina Lister is a marketing and audience development consultant working with museums, heritage sites and cultural organisations. Christina empowers organisations to develop and execute marketing that connects to audiences with purpose and impact, by delivering training, facilitating workshops and developing strategy. Download a full course outline (PDF 156kb, opens in new tab). Book your place through our online booking form.

PR – Demystified
Thursday 11 March, 10am – 12pm
Online (Zoom)

PR can seem mysterious to some and unattainable to others, as most organisations don’t have a dedicated PR expert on the team. In this session, you’ll gain an understanding of the power of PR and what simple things you can do to raise your profile. You’ll look at:

• How to work with the media; what makes a story and why your story should be covered.
• The process of getting media attention - the purpose of a good press release and what it should cover.
• And you’ll explore the kind of content press and media want from you, key timings, and how to build relationships with local press.

Download a full course outline (PDF 156kb, opens in new tab). Book your place through our online booking form.