The Archeology Museum Huis van Hilde is a unique cultural organization: since 2022, the museum has been part of the province. The museum has an important legal task in sharing knowledge in the field of heritage. For example, think of researching objects that were previously excavated.
That position as a government institution makes digital innovation a bit more complicated. ‘On the one hand, Huis van Hilde can rely on general agreements from the government, but on the other hand, that sometimes also creates limitations,’ says director Rylana Seelen. ‘Still, we find it important to determine our own course. For that, we needed insight into where we currently stand. We also wanted to map out our own wishes.’
Foundation of the work
In the in-company digital strategy workshop, DEN worked on these wishes. A first discovery: the need for a digital strategy exists among everyone. ‘It is not a wish; it is the foundation of our work,’ says Seelen. ‘Everyone feels responsible for this strategy and has their own desires. Thanks to good conversations, we were able to bring those together into one digital ambition.’
Huis van Hilde turned out to be already quite advanced digitally. A lot of work was already being done with open data, and much of the collection was already available. Research was also being conducted on whether augmented reality could be used to enrich a tour for visitors with additional information.
At the same time, there were still opportunities for improvement, especially in reaching and informing the public through digital channels. For example, Huis van Hilde has a large depot, but it is not yet well visible in the museum. Digital solutions can lend a helping hand in this, for instance in the form of virtual reality.
Staying future-proof
Such steps were not always taken so far due to a lack of time and money and dependence on external parties. ‘We are often dependent on the systems imposed on us by the government,’ explains Seelen. ‘That doesn’t always help us take quick steps. Our collection contains so many stories, and we want to share those with our audience. We want to spark curiosity about the past of North Holland.’
The conclusion of the workshop: to remain future-proof as a museum, it is important that the collection comes to life in an inspiring way. Digital technology can play a big role in this: before the museum visit, during the visit, and even afterwards.
Formulating this conclusion has helped accelerate digital innovations. ‘Such an ambition helps to align everyone,’ says Seelen. ‘These steps are part of a larger desire to bring about changes in our organization.’
Examining systems
A challenge in rolling out all these ambitions is working with volunteers, often older in age. ‘They don’t always know how new technology works. This became evident, for example, when we switched to SharePoint: it was difficult to teach them that way of working. Paid staff can be held accountable for their performance, but with volunteers, that’s harder.’
In the coming period, Seelen wants to translate DEN’s tools into a multi-year plan, which should become a fixed part of the policy. ‘We will establish focus points per year. This year, we are reviewing the various systems we use: do they still serve us well enough?’
A digital strategy is very important, and its importance will only grow in the coming years.
Increasingly important
These steps would not have been possible for Huis van Hilde without DEN. ‘We don’t always have all the knowledge in-house, for example, regarding trends in the digital field. We are all very motivated, but we don’t always have the time to think about it. DEN’s workshop helped us pause and look together at where we stand and where we want to go. A digital strategy is very important, and its importance will only grow in the coming years.’
Working on this together also creates unity, Seelen noticed. ‘This digital strategy concerns all of us: with these ambitions in hand, we can determine what we do and what we don’t. These may seem like small steps, but they help us do our work better throughout the day. The knowledge and personal approach of DEN have been of great value to us.’
'DEN’s workshop helped us pause and look together at where we stand and where we want to go.'
Author: Anne van den Dool
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