Increased collections accessibility directly supports broader institutional

relevance to both Native and non-Native members of the public. Maxwell Anderson

(2007, 296) argues, "A marginal investment in an online visitor could repay the museum

handsomely-not in immediate cash return, but in demonstrating the value of the

museum to a greater number of people." When museums offer online collections

databases, this reveals to the public the prolific number of objects museums continually

maintain and preserve. Additionally, a museum's website acts as the face of the

museum outside of the physical location; therefore, the more visitor interaction with

either physical or digital museum resources, the more likely the public will value and

support museums.

Exhibition Practices through Technology

      Technology has made it possible for museums to create exhibitions that are

highly interactive and inclusive of diverse communities. Exhibits are not only accessible

at the physical museum location, but also online. Online exhibitions appear in many

forms: blogs, wikis, and social media software; and some argue that online collections

can serve as web exhibitions. These exhibitions usually display images of museum

objects, object information, multimedia, and related contextual or historical information.

Viewers are often invited to share experiences, thoughts, or questions in comment

boxes, and are even encouraged to contribute their knowledge for the production of

upcoming online exhibitions.

      Twenty-first century web technology also makes it possible for members of the

public to contribute to onsite museum exhibitions in new and mutually beneficial ways.

For example, in preparation for the 150-year celebration of Minnesota's statehood in

2008, the Minnesota Historical Society developed the visitor co-created exhibit, MN150.