The collaborative work of heritage : open challenges for CSCW

21 Pages·2017·1.34 MB·English

by  Ciolfi, Luigina

The collaborative work of heritage : open challenges for
CSCW
CIOLFI, Luigina <http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4637-8239>
Available from Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at:
http://shura.shu.ac.uk/7209/
This document is the author deposited version. You are advised to consult the
publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.
Published version
CIOLFI, Luigina (2013). The collaborative work of heritage : open challenges for
CSCW. In: BERTELSON, Olav W., CIOLFI, Luigina, GRASSO, Maria Antonietta and
PAPADOPOULOS, George Angelos, (eds.) ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th
European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work. London, Springer,
83-101.
Copyright and re-use policy
See http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html
Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive
http://shura.shu.ac.uk
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,
London: Springer, pp. 83-101
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Luigina Ciolfi
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Sheffield Hallam University, UK
[email protected]
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Abstract. This paper discusses ssseeemmmiiinnnaaalll cccooonnntttrrriiibbbuuutttiiiooonnnsss bbbyyy aaannnddd cccuuurrrrrreeennnttt open challenges for
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practices for organisations, ssstttaaaffffff,,, vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss aaannnddd rrreeelllaaattteeeddd ssstttaaakkkeeehhhooollldddeeerrrsss. The paper aims at
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of study in human-centred computing from a variety of different perspectives:
from usability studies of museum technologies, to the design of innovative
interactive exhibits, information displays and fully immersive installations.
Within this landscape, cultural heritage has been a relevant domain for CSCW as
well, with particular regard for how groups and communities approach heritage
sites and for how technology can mediate this. The relevance of cultural heritage
for CSCW researchers has further increased as the identity of heritage institutions
83
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
as information collection and delivery units began to be questioned and
challenged, and a new socially inclusive and participative idea of heritage became
widespread (Simon, 2010).
Museums, in particular, were seen in the past as didactic institutions allowing
for very limited overt interactivity and focusing more on their holdings than on
their visitors (Hooper-Greenhill, 1992). The tradition of visitor studies
contributed to change this mindset by actually investigating what people did in
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backdrop for the evaluation of multi-user technologies, however without
delivering novel contributions to the understanding of heritage and of novel social
and collaborative dynamics occurring.
While much of this body of work is well executed and adds knowledge to the
existing stream of research, it has not produced significant new insights on
heritage itself: how is the notion of heritage changing in light of new
84
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
organisational approaches to involving visitors? How is technology playing a
different role in this respect?
We do feel that the scope for CSCW for producing novel and seminal work in
the heritage domain is greater even than it has been in the past, and that some
current themes of research on social and cooperative work in curating, presenting
and interpreting heritage being explored in related disciplines should feature also
in CSCW and be approached through the field’s concepts and sensitivities.
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ttthhheee dddooommmaaaiiinnn... WWWeee wwwiiillllll ttthhheeennn ppprrrooopppooossseee aaa ssseeettt ooofff cccuuurrrrrreeennnttt aaannnddd fffuuutttuuurrreee hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee ttthhheeemmmeeesss aaannnddd,,,
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
fffiiinnnaaallllllyyy,,, aaa dddiiissscccuuussssssiiiooonnn ooofff ttthhheee ccchhhaaalllllleeennngggeeesss aaannnddd ooopppeeennn qqquuueeessstttiiiooonnnsss llliiinnnkkkeeeddd tttooo ttthhheeemmm...
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
CSCW and Cultural Heritage: Key Contributions

In this section we provide an overview of key CSCW contributions to the
cultural heritage domain, highlighting how this research has helped shed light on
crucial issues such as visitor experience and the potential of interactive
technology in developing our very understanding of heritage.
85
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
We see this work as addressing three major interconnected themes: firstly,
visitor activities and social interactions at heritage sites; secondly, the design,
deployment and evaluation of heritage technologies in ‘companion’ roles, such as
aiding the interpretation of an exhibit or site and for visitor guidance; thirdly, the
creation of interactive artistic installations that are not mediating access to
existing museum or exhibition holdings, but that are themselves newly realised
heritage artefacts (e.g. interactive art and performance).
TTThhheeessseee ttthhhrrreeeeee ttthhheeemmmeeesss ooofff CCCSSSCCCWWW rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhh aaarrreee qqquuuiiittteee dddiiissstttiiinnncccttt gggiiivvveeennn ttthhhaaattt ttthhheeeyyy
nnnnnn
cccooonnnccceeennntttrrraaattteee ooonnn dddiiiffffffeeerrreeennnttt iiissssssuuueeesss,,, qqquuueeessstttiiiooonnnsss aaannnddd gggoooaaalllsss,,, aaannnddd aaasss tttooo wwwhhheeerrreee ttthhheee mmmaaaiiinnn
contribution lies (((eee...ggg... dddooocccuuummmeeennntttaaatttiiiooonnn ooofff ppprrraaaccctttiiiccceeesss vvvsss... dddooooooeeesssiiigggnnn ggguuuiiidddeeellliiinnneeesss,,, fffooorrr
eeexxxaaammmpppllleee))),,, aaalllttthhhooouuuggghhh ttthhheeeyyy aaarrreee ccclllooossseeelllyyy iiinnnttteeerrrllliiinnnkkkeeeddd fffooorrr ttthhheeeyyy aaarrreee ooofffttteeennn cccooonnnnnneeecccttteeeddd bbbyyy
iiiiii
cccooonnnccceeeppptttuuuaaalll aaannnddd mmmeeettthhhooodddooolllooogggiiicccaaalll aaapppppprrroooaaaccchhheeesss aaannnddd tttooogggeeettthhhsssssseeerrr ttthhheeeyyy dddeeepppiiicccttt ttthhheee mmmuuullltttiii---
faceted aspects of experiencing heritage. rrrrrr
eeeeee
VVVVVV
Visitor practices

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
The work connnddduuucccttteeeddd ooonnn uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannndddiiinnnggg vvviiisssiiitttooorrr cccooonnnddduuucccttt aaattt hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee sssiiittteeesss aaannnddd ttthhheee
oooooooooooooooooo
sssoooccciiiaaalll aaannnddd cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee aaassspppeeecccttt ooofff eeexxxpppeeerrriiieeennnccciiinnnggg hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee uuunnneeeaaarrrttthhheeeddd ttthhheee nnnuuuaaannnccceeesss ooofff
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
sssoooccciiiaaalll iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnnsss,,, cccooommmmmmuuunnniiicccaaatttiiiooonnn aaannnddd cccoooooopppeeerrraaatttiiiooonnn wwwiiittthhhiiinnn gggrrrooouuupppsss aaannnddd bbbeeetttwwweeeeeennn
tttttttttttttttttt
individual visitors (vom Lehn et al.,,, 222aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa000000111)))... VVViiisssiiitttooorrrsss wwweeerrreee ooobbbssseeerrrvvveeeddd iiinnn nnnaaatttuuurrraaallliiissstttiiiccc
sssiiitttuuuaaatttiiiooonnnsss wwwhhhiiillleee eeexxxppplllooorrriiinnnggg eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiitttsss eeeiiittthhheeerrr aaalllooonnneee ooorrr iiinnn gggrrrooouuupppsss,,, aaannnddd ttthhheeeiiirrr ppphhhyyysssiiicccaaalll
cccccccccccccccccc
aaannnddd cccooommmmmmuuunnniiicccaaatttiiivvveee aaaccctttiiivvviiitttiiieeesss dddeeetttaaaiiillleeeddd... TTThhheeessseee ssstttuuudddiiieeesss lllaaarrrgggeeelllyyy uuutttiiillliiissseeeddd ttthhheee ttteeeccchhhnnniiiqqquuueee
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
ooofff vvviiidddeeeooo---bbbaaassseeeddd ooobbbssseeerrrvvvaaatttiiiooonnnsss,,, aaallllllooowwwiiinnnggg fffooorrr ttthhheee sssuuubbbssseeeqqquuueeennnttt mmmooommmeeennnttt---bbbyyy---mmmooommmeeennnttt
llllllllllllllllll
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
aaannnaaalllyyysssiiisss ooofff dddaaatttaaa cccaaappptttuuurrriiinnnggg vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss’’’ aaaccctttiiivvviiitttiiieeesss (((vvvooommm LLLeeehhhnnn,,, 222000111000)))...
OOOnnneee ooofff ttthhheee kkkeeeyyy fffiiinnndddiiinnngggsss iiinnnuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ttthhhiiisss bbbooodddyyy ooofff wwwooorrrkkk iiisss ttthhhaaattt,,, eeevvveeennn iiifff aaa ccceeerrrtttaaaiiinnn mmmuuussseeeuuummm
ooorrr gggaaalllllleeerrryyy dddiiiddd nnnooottt eeexxxpppllliiiccciiitttlllyyy eeennncccooouuurrraaagggeee sssoooccciiiaaalll iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn aaannnddd pppaaarrrtttiiiccciiipppaaatttiiiooonnn,,, ttthhheeessseee
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
oooccccccuuurrrrrreeeddd nnnaaatttuuurrraaallllllyyy iiinnn vvviiisssiiitttooorrr ppprrraaaccctttiiiccceeesss... MMMuuussseeeuuummmsss,,, eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiitttiiiooonnnsss aaannnddd ooottthhheeerrr hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee
sssiiittteeesss aaarrreee ttthhheeerrreeefffooorrreee iiinnnhhheeerrreeennntttlllyyy sssoooccciiiaaalll aaannnddd aaa fffooocccuuusss ooonnn lllooonnneee aaaccctttooorrrsss,,, wwwiiittthhhooouuuttt
------------------
cccooonnnsssiiidddeeerrriiinnnggg ttthhheee bbbrrroooaaadddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrr ppphhhyyysssiiicccaaalll aaannnddd sssoooccciiiaaalll cccooonnnttteeexxxttt ooofff ttthhheeeiiirrr aaaccctttiiiooonnnsss,,, iiisss llliiimmmiiittteeeddd
wwwhhheeennn aaatttttteeemmmppptttiiinnnggg tttooo tttrrruuulllyyy uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannnddd ttthhheee vvviiisssiiitttooorrr eeexxxpppeeerrriiieeennnccceee ooofff eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiitttsss...
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
NNNooottt ooonnnlllyyy iiinnnttteeerrrpppeeerrrsssooonnnaaalll iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn tttaaakkkeeesss ppplllaaaccceee rrreeeggguuulllaaarrrlllyyy iiinnn hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee ssseeettttttiiinnngggsss,,, bbbuuuttt
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
ooottthhheeerrrsss aaarrreee eeesssssseeennntttiiiaaalll pppaaarrrttt ooofff hhhooowww ttthhheee eeexxxpppeeerrriiieeennnccceee ooofff hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee iiisss cccooonnnfffiiiggguuurrreeeddd::: “““TTThhheee
vvviiisssuuuaaalll,,, vvvooocccaaalll,,, aaannnddd tttaaaccctttiiillleee cccooonnnddduuucccttt ooofff ooottthhheeerrrsss ppprrrooovvviiidddeeesss rrreeesssooouuurrrccceeesss fffooorrr lllooooookkkiiinnnggg,,, ssseeeeeeiiinnnggg,,,
and experiencing the various exhibits” (vom Lehn et al., 2001, p. 206).
Moreover, behaviours emerging among groups of visitors aim at both
maintaining coherence to the visit as an individual pursuit and at supporting the
group experience: work is put in by group members in exploring exhibits in a
desired way, but also in keeping group cohesion and in keeping interpersonal
interaction at a desirable level while visiting.
86
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
Visitors pay attention to exhibits but also to others, and key to a positive
experience for them is the possibility to gain access both to exhibits and to others
for conversations, and to maintain awareness of the overall environment and of
other people.
In other words, visitors ‘work’ to keep things social and endeavour to make
interpretation social through verbal discussions, gestural illustrations, show and
tell-like interactions, etc. This happens also with strangers when casual
encounters and casual interactions occur both verbally aaannnddd nnnooonnn---vvveeerrrbbbaaalllly (through
nnnnnnnnnnn
hand gestures, positioning of one’s body, gaze, etc.).
Another finding is that dwell time iiinnn iiitttssseeelllfff iiisss aaannn iiinnncccoooooooooooooommmpppllleeettteee iiinnndddiiicccaaatttooorrr ooofff
eeennngggaaagggeeemmmeeennnttt,,, aaalllttthhhooouuuggghhh iiittt hhhaaaddd bbbeeeeeennn uuutttiiillliiizzzeeeddd aaasss kkkeeeyyy mmmeeeaaasssuuurrreee ooofff eeennngggaaagggeeemmmeeennnttt wwwiiittthhh
iiiiiiiiiii
eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiitttsss (((aaannnddd ooofffttteeennn iiinnn iiisssooolllaaatttiiiooonnn))) iiinnn eeeaaarrrlllyyy llliiittteeerrraaatttuuurrreee iiinnnsssssssssss bbbooottthhh HHHCCCIII aaannnddd mmmuuussseeeuuummm
ssstttuuudddiiieeesss... LLLooonnngggeeerrr dddwwweeellllll tttiiimmmeee iiinnn fffrrrooonnnttt ooofff aaannn eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiittt dddooorrrrrrrrrrreeesss nnnooottt nnneeeccceeessssssaaarrriiilllyyy eeeqqquuuaaalll tttooo
pppooosssiiitttiiivvveee aaannnddd ppprrrooolllooonnngggeeeddd eeennngggaaagggeeemmmeeennnttt wwwiiittthhh iiittt;;; cccooonnnvvveeerrrssseeeeeeeeeeeeeelllyyy,,, ssshhhooorrrttt dddwwweeellllll tttiiimmmeee dddoooeeesss nnnooottt
eeeqqquuuaaalll tttooo lllaaaccckkk ooofff eeennngggaaagggeeemmmeeennnttt... SSSoooccciiiaaalll aaannnddd cccooonnnttteeexxxtttuuuaaalll fffaaaccctttooorrrsss nnneeeeeeddd tttooo bbbeee cccooonnnsssiiidddeeerrreeeddd
VVVVVVVVVVV
aaasss wwweeellllll aaasss dddwwweeellllll tttiiimmmeee fffooorrr uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannndddiiinnnggg hhhooowww vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss eeessstttaaabbbllliiissshhh cccooonnnnnneeeccctttiiiooonnnsss wwwiiittthhh
wwwwwhhhhhaaaaattttt iiiiisssss ooooonnnnn dddddiiiiisssssppppplllllaaaaayyyyy..... SSSSSiiiiimmmmmiiiiilllllaaaaarrrrrlllllyyyyy,,,,, ttttthhhhhaaaaattttt ooooofffff eeeeennnnngggggaaaaagggggeeeee mmmmmeeeeennnnnttttt wwwwwiiiiittttthhhhh hhhhheeeeerrrrriiiiitttttaaaaagggggeeeee iiiiisssss aaaaa nnnnnuuuuuaaaaannnnnccccceeeeeddddd
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
notion: as llllleeeeennnnngggggttttthhhhh ooooofffff tttttiiiiimmmmmeeeee iiiiisssss nnnnnooooottttt aaaaa uuuuunnnnniiiiivvvvvooooocccccaaaaalllll mmmmmeeeeeaaaaasssssuuuuurrrrreeeee,,,,, eeeeennnnngggggaaaaagggggeeeeemmmmmeeeeennnnnttttt cccccaaaaannnnn aaaaalllllsssssooooo bbbbbeeeee mmmmmooooorrrrreeeee
ooorrr llleeessssss aaaccctttiiivvveee (((eee...ggg... ccceeerrrtttaaaiiinnn “““pppaaassssssiiivvveee””” vvviiisssiiitttooooooooooooooooooooooorrrsss aaapppppprrroooaaaccchhhiiinnnggg eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiitttsss aaarrreee dddiiiffffffeeerrreeennntttlllyyy
eeennngggaaagggeeeddd wwwiiittthhh ttthhheeemmm))),,, ccceeennntttrrraaalll ooorrr pppeeerrriiippphhheeerrraaalll,,, eeetttccc... (((HHHeeeaaattthhh eeettt aaalll...,,, 222000000222)))...
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
TTThhheeessseee iiinnnsssiiiggghhhtttsss sssiiigggnnniiifffiiicccaaannntttlllyyy mmmooovvveeeddd bbbeeeyyyttttttttttttttttttttooonnnddd ttthhheee bbbooodddyyy ooofff wwwooorrrkkk ooonnn vvviiisssiiitttooorrr ssstttuuudddiiieeesss
ttthhhaaattt wwwaaasss vvveeerrryyy mmmuuuccchhh fffooocccuuussseeeddd ooonnn sssiiinnngggllleeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa iiinnnssstttaaannnccceeesss ooofff bbbeeehhhaaavvviiiooorrr rrraaattthhheeerrr ttthhhaaannn sssoooccciiiaaallllllyyy
sssiiitttuuuaaattteeeddd cccooonnnddduuucccttt,,, sssuuuccchhh aaasss --- fffooorrr eeexxxaaammmpppllleee --- VVVeeerrrooonnn aaannnddd LLLeeevvvaaasssssseeeuuurrr’’’sss fffrrraaammmeeewwwooorrrkkk ooofff
cccccccccccccccccccc
vvviiisssiiitttooorrr tttyyypppooolllooogggiiieeesss eeennntttiiirrreeelllyyy bbbaaassseeeddd ooonnn ssspppaaatttiiiaaalll mmmooovvveeemmmeeennnttt aaannnddd ooonnn “““bbboooxxxiiinnnggg””” vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiinnntttooo fffiiixxxeeeddd aaannnddd ssstttrrriiiccctttlllyyy iiinnndddiiivvviiiddduuuaaalllllllllllllllllllllll mmmooodddeeelllsss (((VVVeeerrrooonnn aaannnddd LLLeeevvvaaasssssseeeuuurrr,,, 111999888333))) ttthhhaaattt hhhaaasss
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
iiinnnfffllluuueeennnccceeeddd ttthhheee dddeeesssiiigggnnn ooofff mmmooodddeeelll---bbbaaassseeeddd ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiieeesss sssuuuccchhh aaasss ccceeerrrtttaaaiiinnn tttyyypppeeesss ooofff
aaadddaaappptttiiivvveee ggguuuiiidddeeesss (((ssseeeeee fffooorrr eeexxxaaammmuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupppllleee,,, MMMaaarrrtttiii,,, 222000000111)))::: sssiiimmmiiilllaaarrr iiinnnssstttaaannnccceeesss fffeeeaaatttuuurrreee iiinnn aaa lllooottt
ooofff HHHCCCIII rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhh bbbuuuttt wwweeerrreee nnneeevvveeerrr tttrrruuulllyyy sssuuucccccceeessssssfffuuullllllyyy dddeeepppllloooyyyeeeddd iiinnn hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee ssseeettttttiiinnngggsss...
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
A paaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrr aaassspppeeecccttt ooofff hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee eeexxxpppeeerrriiieeennnccceee iiisss iiitttsss eeeddduuucccaaatttiiiooonnnaaalll vvvaaallluuueee... SSStttrrruuuccctttuuurrreeeddd
aaannnddd iiinnnfffooorrrmmmaaalll eeeaaarrrnnniiinnnggg iii--------------------nnn mmmuuussseeeuuummmsss aaannnddd ooottthhheeerrr hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee sssiiittteeesss hhhaaavvveee bbbeeeeeennn iiimmmpppooorrrtttaaannnttt
tttooopppiiicccsss iiinnn ttthhheee llliiittteeerrraaatttuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrreee,,, pppaaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrrlllyyy wwwiiittthhhiiinnn CCCooommmpppuuuttteeerrr---SSSuuuppppppooorrrttteeeddd CCCooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee
LLLeeeaaarrrnnniiinnnggg,,, wwwiiittthhh pppaaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrr aaatttttteeennntttiiiooonnn tttooo uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannndddiiinnnggg hhhooowww llleeeaaarrrnnniiinnnggg oooccccccuuurrrsss aaannnddd cccaaannn
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
bbbeee fffaaaccciiillliiitttaaattteeeddd iiinnn hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee ssseeettttttiiinnngggsss aaannnddd to how educational activities take place
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
(Marr et al.,,, 222000000333;;; HHHeeemmmmmmiiinnngggsss eeettt aaal., 1997; see also Hornecker, 2010). From this
bbbooodddyyy ooofff eeemmmpppiiirrriiicccaaalll wwwooorrrkkk,,, iiimmmpppllliiicccaaatttiiiooonnnsss hhhaaavvveee bbbeeeeeennn dddrrraaawwwnnn pppaaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrrlllyyy fffooorrr ttthhheee dddeeesssiiigggnnn
of educational technologies.

The findings of the CSCW body of research on visitor practices have been
influential specifically to the design and deployment of interactive technology for
heritage settings. The nuanced understanding of how heritage is experienced
provides guidance on what technology design should be mindful and supportive
of. Conversely, a detailed understanding of how technology can interplay with a
87
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
visitor’s interpersonal interactions and relationships with an exhibit is essential
for good heritage experiences.
A crucial insight from studies of visitor activities in terms of technology design is
how interactions around exhibits are more successful whereby there are
opportunities for people to be “drawn in”, possibilities of physical
accommodation around an exhibit, and an open nature of the exhibition itself in
terms of commentary and interpretation. Opportunities for interactions with
cccooommmpppaaannniiiooonnnsss aaannnddd ssstttrrraaannngggeeerrrsss ssshhhooouuulllddd bbbeee sssuuuppppppooorrrttteeeddd aaannnddd eeennncccooouuurrraaagggeeeddd... OOOvvveeerrraaallllll,,, vvvaaarrriiiaaabbbllleee
nnnnnnnn
aaannnddd cccooonnntttiiinnngggeeennnttt fffooorrrmmmsss ooofff iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn aaarrrooouuunnnddd aaannn eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiittt ssshhhooouuulllddd bbbeee fffaaaccciiillliiitttaaattteeeddd (((HHHeeeaaattthhh
et al., 2002). oooooooo
TTTiiiggghhhtttlllyyy llliiinnnkkkeeeddd wwwiiittthhh ttthhhiiisss wwwooorrrkkk iiisss ttthhheee ssstttrrreeeaaammm ooofff rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhh ooonnn hhhooowww ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggyyy
iiiiiiii
mmmeeedddiiiaaattteeesss ttthhheee vvviiisssiiitttooorrr eeexxxpppeeerrriiieeennnccceee... TTTeeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggyyy (((wwwhhheeennn ppprrreeessssssssssseeennnttt))) aaattt aaa hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee sssiiittteee cccaaannn
ppplllaaayyy aaannn aaammmbbbiiiggguuuooouuusss rrrooollleee::: ttthhhaaattt ooofff fffaaaccciiillliiitttaaatttiiinnnggg sssuuuccchhh iiinnnrrrrrrrrttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnnsss,,, bbbuuuttt aaalllsssooo ttthhhaaattt ooofff
eeennncccuuummmbbbeeerrriiinnnggg ttthhheeemmm... TTThhheeerrreeefffooorrreee,,, mmmaaannnyyy ooofff ttthhheee fffiiinnndddiiinnngggssseeeeeeee aaannnddd dddeeesssiiigggnnn ssseeennnsssiiibbbiiillliiitttiiieeesss fffrrrooommm
vvviiisssiiitttooorrr ppprrraaaccctttiiiccceeesss ssstttuuudddiiieeesss aaarrreee rrreeesssooonnnaaattteeeddd iiinnn rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhh rrreeegggaaarrrdddiiinnnggg ttthhheee eeevvvaaallluuuaaatttiiiooonnn aaannnddd///ooorrr
VVVVVVVV
introduction of heritage technologies.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Heritage technologies in use ooooooooooooooooo
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
AAAnnnooottthhheeerrr ssseeettt ooofff sssiiigggnnniiifffiiicccaaannnttt CCCSSSCCCWWW cccooonnntttrrriiibbbuuutttiiiooonnnsss rrreeegggaaarrrdddsss ttthhheee ssstttuuudddyyy ooofff ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggyyy
ttttttttttttttttt
use in hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee ssseeettttttiiinnngggsss,,, wwwhhheeettthhheeerrr aaannn eeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaxxxtttaaannnttt ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggyyy ooorrr aaa nnneeewwwlllyyy dddeeesssiiigggnnneeeddd ooonnneee...
TTThhhiiisss wwwooorrrkkk iiisss fffooocccuuussseeeddd ooonnn ttthhheee sssoooccciiiooo---ttteeeccchhhnnniiicccaaalll aaassspppeeeccctttsss ooofff ttthhheee uuussseee ooofff iiinnndddiiivvviiiddduuuaaalll aaannnddd
ccccccccccccccccc
cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiieeesss (((eee...ggg... aaauuudddiiioooggguuuiiidddeeesss,,, tttooouuuccchhh ssscccrrreeeeeennnsss,,, eeetttccc...))) aaannnddd ooonnn ttthhheee
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
dddeeesssiiigggnnn ooofff iiinnnttteeennntttiiiooonnnaaallllllyyy cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiieeesss ttthhhaaattt eeennncccooouuurrraaagggeee aaannnddd ooofffttteeennn rrreeewwwaaarrrddd
lllllllllllllllll
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
cccoooooopppeeerrraaatttiiivvveee iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn... IIInnn ttthhheee lllaaatttttteeerrr cccaaassseee, the research features a specific effort to
design cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggiiieeesss aaannnddd uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannndddiiinnnggg ooofff ttthhheeeiiirrr uuussseee...
AAAnnn iiimmmpppooorrrtttaaannnttt dddiiiffffffeeerrreeennnccceee fffrrrooommm ttthhheee ppprrreeevvviiiooouuusss ttthhheeemmmeee,,, aaalllttthhhooouuuggghhh eeeqqquuuaaalll aaatttttteeennntttiiiooonnn tttooo
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
visitor practices cccaaannn bbbeee fffooouuunnnddd iiinnn ttthhhiiisss bbbooodddyyy ooofff wwwooorrrkkk --- aaannnddd iiinnndddeeeeeeddd ttthhheeerrreee aaarrreee mmmaaannnyyy
cccooonnnnnneeeccctttiiiooonnnsss bbbeeetttwwweeeeeennn ttthhheee tttwwwooo ttthhheeemmmeeesss ooofff rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhh iiinnn ttteeerrrmmmsss ooofff aaagggeeennndddaaa,,, aaauuuttthhhooorrrssshhhiiippp
-----------------
and approach -, is aaaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee gggrrreeeaaattteeerrr aaatttttteeennntttiiiooonnn tttooo ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiicccaaalll mmmeeedddiiiaaatttiiiooonnn,,, aaannnddd aaalllsssooo aaa
ssstttrrrooonnngggeeerrr fffooocccuuusss ooonnn ttthhheee pppooottteeennntttiiiaaalll fffooorrr vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss tttooo tttaaakkkeee ooonnn nnnooottt jjjuuusssttt ttthhheee rrrooollleee ooofff ssspppeeeccctttaaatttooorrrsss
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
ooofff hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee sssiiittteeesss,,, bbbuuuttt aaalllsssooo ttthhhaaattt ooofff aaaccctttiiivvveee pppaaarrrtttiiiccciiipppaaannntttsss bbbyyy ppprrrooovvviiidddiiinnnggg ttthhheeemmm wwwiiittthhh a
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
rrraaannngggeee ooofff oooppppppooorrrtttuuunnniiitttiiieeesss fffooorrr iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn wwwiiittthhh ttthhheee eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiitttsss aaannnddd wwwiiittthhh ooottthhheeerrrsss::: fffooorrr
eeexxxaaammmpppllleee,,, ttthhheee iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiivvveee ggguuuiiidddeeebbbooooookkk “““SSSooottttttooo VVVoooccceee””” (((GGGrrriiinnnttteeerrr eeettt aaalll...,,, 222000000222))) ppprrrooovvviiidddeeeddd
visitors to a historic house with additional content and the opportunity of sharing
it with others via a shared audio mechanism. In certain cases, visitors are also
allowed to make direct contributions to an exhibit, for example by means of
written comments, audio recordings, photos, etc.: in an exhibition at the Hunt
Museum (Ireland) called “Re-Tracing the Past” (Ferris et al., 2004), visitors were
invited to record interpretations of museum objects that were never conclusively
interpreted; in the “Secret Life of Objects” at the Helsinki Design Museum
88
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
(Finland), visitors and staff were invited to leave annotations on digital
representations of a set of historic Finnish design pieces (Salgado et al., 2009).
Researchers have studied the physical engagement with technology (for
example the effectiveness or engagement value of certain interaction styles and
modalities vs. others), have developed the know-how on how to augment a
heritage site through technology in mindful ways, and also have evaluated how
different technologies (e.g. desktop, mobile, tangible, etc.) can be of use in
pppaaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrr ssseeettttttiiinnngggsss,,, fffrrrooommm eeennnccclllooossseeeddd gggaaalllllleeerrriiieeesss tttooo hhhiiissstttooorrriiiccc bbbuuuiiillldddiiinnngggsss aaannnddd ooouuutttdddoooooorrr sites.
nnnnnnnnnnnnn
MMMaaannnyyy eeexxxaaammmpppllleeesss fffeeeaaatttuuurrreee ssstttuuudddiiieeesss ooofff nnnooovvveeelll ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiieeesss ttthhhaaattt hhhaaavvveee ttthhheeennn bbbeeecccooommmeee
cccooommmmmmeeerrrccciiiaaallllllyyy wwwiiidddeeelllyyy aaavvvaaaiiilllaaabbbllleee,,, fffrrrooommm tttooouuuccchhh ssscccrrreeeeeennnsss aaannnddd iiinnnttteeeooooooooooooorrraaaccctttiiivvveee ppprrrooojjjeeeccctttiiiooonnnsss,,, tttooo
- more recently - mobile devices,,, mmmiiixxxeeeddd aaannnddd aaauuugggmmmeeennnttteeeddd rrreeeaaallliiitttyyy,,, aaannnddd mmmuuullltttiii---tttooouuuccchhh
iiiiiiiiiiiii
tttaaabbbllleeetttooopppsss (((GGGrrriiinnnttteeerrr aaattt aaalll...,,, 222000000222;;; SSSccchhhnnnääädddeeelllbbbaaaccchhh eeettt aaassssssssssssslll...,,, 222000000222; Galani, 2003;
Hornecker, 2008). rrrrrrrrrrrrr
SSSuuuccchhh ssstttuuudddiiieeesss ooofff cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee uuussseee ooofff nnnooovvveeelll aaannnddd eeexxxiiisssttteeeeeeeeeeeeeiiinnnggg ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiieeesss in-situ have
also llleeeddd tttooo dddeeetttaaaiiillleeeddd ggguuuiiidddeeellliiinnneeesss fffooorrr ttthhheee dddeeesssiiigggnnn ooofff iiinnn---gggaaalllllleeerrryyy sssyyysssttteeemmmsss aaannnddd ooottthhheeerrr
VVVVVVVVVVVVV
pppuuubbbllliiiccc iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiivvveee sssyyysssttteeemmmsss aaannnddd,,, iiimmmpppooorrrtttaaannntttlllyyy,,, hhhaaavvveee dddeeemmmooonnnssstttrrraaattteeeddd ttthhhrrrooouuuggghhh eeemmmpppiiirrriiicccaaalll
eeeeevvvvviiiiidddddeeeeennnnnccccceeeee ttttthhhhheeeee ssssshhhhhooooorrrrrtttttcccccooooommmmmiiiiinnnnngggggsssss ooooofffff ttttteeeeeccccchhhhhnnnnnooooolllllooooogggggyyyyy iiiiinnnnntttttrrrrroooooddddd uuuuuccccceeeeeddddd wwwwwiiiiittttthhhhhooooouuuuuttttt cccccaaaaarrrrreeeeefffffuuuuulllll cccccooooonnnnnsssssiiiiidddddeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
ooooofffff ttttthhhhheeeee sssssoooooccccciiiiiaaaaalllll nnnnnaaaaatttttuuuuurrrrreeeee,,,,, uuuuussssseeeee aaaaannnnnddddd ppppphhhhhyyyyysssssiiiiicccccaaaaalllll qqqqquuuuuaaaaallllliiiiitttttiiiiieeeeesssss ooooofffff aaaaa pppppaaaaarrrrrtttttiiiiicccccuuuuulllllaaaaarrrrr hhhhheeeeerrrrriiiiitttttaaaaagggggeeeee
eeennnvvviiirrrooonnnmmmeeennnttt (((HHHooorrrnnneeeccckkkeeerrr aaannnddd SSStttiiifffttteeerrr,,, 222000oooooooooooooooooooo000666)))... MMMooorrreeeooovvveeerrr,,, ttthhhiiisss wwwooorrrkkk fffuuurrrttthhheeerrreeeddd
uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannndddiiinnnggg ooofff cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnnsss aaarrrooouuunnnddd hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee as mediated and not
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
bbbyyy ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggyyy aaannnddd ooofff ttthhheee rrreee---cccooonnnfffttttttttttttttttttttiiiggguuurrraaatttiiiooonnnsss aaarrrooouuunnnddd ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggyyy uuussseee aaannnddd
aaapppppprrroooppprrriiiaaatttiiiooonnn (((HHHeeeaaattthhh aaannnddd vvvooommm LLLeeehhhnnn,,, 222aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa000111000;;; vvvooommm LLLeeehhhnnn eeettt aaalll...,,, 222000000777)))...
AAA mmmaaaiiinnn fffiiinnndddiiinnnggg iiisss ttthhhaaattt ppphhhyyysssiiicccaaalll dddeeesssiiigggnnn ooofff ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiieeesss –––sssiiimmmiiilllaaarrrlllyyy tttooo ttthhhaaattt ooofff
cccccccccccccccccccc
eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiitttiiiooonnnsss --- aaaffffffeeeccctttsss gggrrrooouuuppp eeexxxpppeeerrriiieeennnccceee iiinnn ttteeerrrmmmsss ooofff aaaccccccooommmmmmooodddaaatttiiiooonnn aaannnddd aaacccccceeessssss
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
pppoooiiinnntttsss aaannnddd ttthhheeerrreeefffooorrreee iiinnn ttteeerrrmmmsss llllllllllllllllllllooofff sssoooccciiiaaalll iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn... IIInnn hhheeerrr ssstttuuudddyyy ooofff vvviiisssiiitttooorrr
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnnsss wwwiiittthhh ttthhheee “““JJJuuurrraaassscccooopppeeesss””” aaattt ttthhheee BBBeeerrrllliiinnn MMMuuussseeeuuummm ooofff NNNaaatttuuurrraaalll HHHiiissstttooorrryyy
(((pppeeerrriiissscccooopppeee---llliiikkkeee dddeeevvviiiccceeesss ooovvveeerrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulllaaayyyiiinnnggg dddiiigggiiitttaaalll 333DDD aaannniiimmmaaatttiiiooonnnsss ooovvveeerrr rrreeeaaalll---llliiifffeee dddiiinnnooosssaaauuurrr
ssskkkeeellleeetttooonnnsss aaannnddd llliiinnnkkkeeeddd tttooo aaa rrreeelllaaattteeeddd mmmuuullltttiii---tttooouuuccchhh ssscccrrreeeeeennn cccooonnnsssooollleee))),,, HHHooorrrnnneeeccckkkeeerrr ooobbbssseeerrrvvveeeddd
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
hhhooowww ttthhheee ppphhhyyysssiiicccaaalll aaaccccccooommmmmmooodddaaatttiiiooonnn ooofff hhhaaannndddsss---ooonnn iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnnsss bbbyyy mmmooorrreee ttthhhaaannn ooonnneee
iiinnndddiiivvviiiddduuuaaalll iiisss llliiinnnkkkeeeddd sss--------------------iiigggnnniiifffiiicccaaannntttlllyyy tttooo dddwell time and to spontaneous social
iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnnsss,,, aaannnddd ttthhheeerrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee iiisss aaa bbbaaalllaaannnccceee ssstttrrruuuccckkk bbbeeetttwwweeeeeennn ttthhheee oooccccccuuurrrrrreeennnccceee ooofff cccoooooopppeeerrraaatttiiivvveee
iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnnsss vvvsss... lllooonnneee ooonnneeesss,,, aaannnddd tttrrraaadddeee oooffffffsss ooofff cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiiooonnn vvveeerrrsssuuusss iiinnndddiiivvviiiddduuuaaalll uuussseee
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
(((HHHooorrrnnneeeccckkkeeerrr,,, 222000111000)))... CCCooonnnvvveeerrrssseeelllyyy,,, iiinnn ssstttuuudddiiieeesss ooofff mmmuuullltttiii---tttooouuuccchhh tttaaabbbllleeetttoooppp iiinnnssstttaaallllllaaatttiiiooonnnsss
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
(((sssuuuccchhh aaasss HHHiiinnnrrriiiccchhhsss aaannnddd CCCaaarrrpppeeennndddaaallleee’’’sss fffiiieeelllddd ssstttuuudddyyy ooofff ttthhheee “““CCCooolllllleeeccctttiiiooonnn VVViiieeewwweeerrr””” aaattt
VVVaaannncccooouuuvvveeerrr AAAqqquuuaaarrriiiuuummm))) iiittt hhhaaasss bbbeeeeeennn ssshhhooowwwnnn ttthhhaaattt ppphhhyyysssiiicccaaalll iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn iiisss iiinnnfffllluuueeennnccceeeddd bbbyyy
the social context, the presence of others and the opportunities for non
technologically-mediated interaction (Hinrichs and Carpendale, 2011).
Furthermore, group interactions can present very different qualities: for
example in the case of families where complex practices of directing, scaffolding
and facilitation take place between parents and children in ways that would not
occur within groups of a different nature (Hornecker and Nicol, 2012).
Encouraging these types of interaction by means of technology can also be part of
89
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
broader cultural and social policy relating to heritage, as it happens for example in
Japan where family visits to museums are seen as ways to build cultural capital
and technology support to them is encouraged (Hope et al., 2009).
Collaborative interactions vary not only depending on the type of visitors and
groups, but also on the specific configuration of technology: for example, in
mixed reality visiting co-experiences involving both located and co-located
visitors, interactions are co-present but also remote, occurring within a digital
ssspppaaaccceee rrreeeppprrreeessseeennntttiiinnnggg ccceeerrrtttaaaiiinnn fffeeeaaatttuuurrreeesss ooofff ttthhheee hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee ssseeettttttiiinnnggg aaasss wwweeellllll aaasss iiinnn ttthhheee
nnnnnnnnnnn
ppphhhyyysssiiicccaaalll wwwooorrrlllddd... TTThhheee “““GGGeeeooorrrgggeee SSSqqquuuaaarrreee””” sssyyysssttteeemmm aaallllllooowwweeeddd vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss eeexxxppplllooorrriiinnnggg aaa ccciiitttyyy tttooo
ssshhhaaarrreee ttthhheeeiiirrr lllooocccaaatttiiiooonnn aaannnddd mmmeeedddiiiaaa aaannnnnnoootttaaatttiiiooonnnsss tttooo ooottthhheeerrrsss,,, bbbooottthhh ooooooooooocccooo---lllooocccaaattteeeddd aaannnddd dddiiissstttaaannnttt
(Brown et al.,,, 222000000555)));;; ttthhheee cccooo---vvviiisssiiitttiiinnnggg sssyyysssttteeemmm dddeeepppllloooyyyeeeddd aaattt ttthhheee MMMaaaccckkkiiinnntttooossshhh
iiiiiiiiiii
IIInnnttteeerrrppprrreeetttaaatttiiiooonnn CCCeeennntttrrreee aaattt ttthhheee LLLiiiggghhhttthhhooouuussseee iiinnn GGGlllaaasssgggooowww (((BBBrrrooossssssssssswwwnnn eeettt aaal., 2003) allowed
ppphhhyyysssiiicccaaalll vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss tttooo iiinnnttteeerrraaacccttt wwwiiittthhh “““dddiiigggiiitttaaalll””” vvviiisssiiitttooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrsss eeexxxppplllooorrriiinnnggg ooonnnllliiinnneee aaa VVVRRR
rrreeeppprrreeessseeennntttaaatttiiiooonnn ooofff ttthhheee eeexxxhhhiiibbbiiittt... TTThhheeessseee eeexxxaaammmpppllleeesss ooofff llleeeeeeeeeeeiiittteeerrraaatttuuurrreee hhhaaavvveee ttthhhuuusss eeexxxppplllooorrreeeddd
iiissssssuuueeesss ooofff aaawwwaaarrreeennneeessssss ooofff ooottthhheeerrrsss,,, cccaaasssuuuaaalll iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn wwwiiittthhh ssstttrrraaannngggeeerrrsss aaannnddd
VVVVVVVVVVV
aaaccccccooommmmmmooodddaaatttiiiooonnn ooofff cccooollllllaaabbbooorrraaatttiiivvveee aaaccctttiiiooonnnsss bbbooottthhh bbbeeetttwwweeeeeennn cccooo---lllooocccaaattteeeddd aaannnddd rrreeemmmooottteee
visitors.
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
AAAAAnnnnnooooottttthhhhheeeeerrrrr sssssiiiiigggggnnnnniiiiifffffiiiiicccccaaaaannnnnttttt bbbbbooooodddddyyyyy ooooofffff CCCCCSSSSSCCCCCWWWWW wwwwwooooorrrrrkkkkk dddddooooocccccuuuuummmmmeeeeennnnntttttsssss ttttthhhhheeeee dddddeeeeesssssiiiiigggggnnnnn ooooofffff aaaaannnnnddddd
iiinnnssstttaaannnccceeesss ooofff iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiiooonnn aaarrrooouuunnnddd mmmuuullltttiiipppllleeeooooooooooooooooooo ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiicccaaalll cccooommmpppooonnneeennntttsss ttthhhaaattt aaarrreee
dddiiissstttrrriiibbbuuuttteeeddd wwwiiittthhhiiinnn aaa hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee eeennnvvviiirrrooonnnmmmeeennnttt (((FFFrrraaassseeerrr eeettt aaalll...,,, 222000000333;;; HHHiiinnndddmmmaaarrrssshhh eeettt aaalll...,,,
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
222000000555;;; CCCiiiooolllfffiii aaannnddd MMMcccLLLooouuuggghhhllliiinnn,,, 222000111222)))ttttttttttttttttttt... IIInnn pppaaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrr ssseeettttttiiinnngggsss,,, “““aaasssssseeemmmbbbllliiieeesss””” ooofff
iiinnnttteeerrrllliiinnnkkkeeeddd iiinnnttteeerrraaaccctttiiivvveee aaarrrttteeefffaaaccctttsss,,, rrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattthhheeerrr ttthhhaaannn ssstttaaannndddaaalllooonnneee iiinnnssstttaaallllllaaatttiiiooonnnsss ooorrr
iiinnndddeeepppeeennndddeeennnttt mmmooobbbiiillleee aaappppppllliiicccaaatttiiiooonnnsss,,, cccaaannn bbbeeesssttt sssuuussstttaaaiiinnn hhhooowww vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss eeexxxppplllooorrreee,,, mmmaaakkkeee
ccccccccccccccccccc
ssseeennnssseee aaannnddd rrreeelllaaattteee tttooo aaa hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee sssiiittteee... BBBeeesssiiidddeeesss ttthhheee ccchhhaaalllllleeennngggeeesss ooofff ttteeeccchhhnnniiicccaaallllllyyy rrreeeaaallliiizzziiinnnggg
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
aaannn eeennngggaaagggiiinnnggg aaasssssseeemmmbbblllyyy,,, ttthhhiiisss wwwooolllllllllllllllllllrrrkkk iiinnnvvveeessstttiiigggaaattteeesss hhhooowww cccooohhheeerrreeennnccceee iiinnn ttthhheee vvviiisssiiittt is
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
aaaccchhhiiieeevvveeeddd,,, aaannnddd sssuuussstttaaaiiinnneeeddd eeennngggaaagggeeemmmeeennnttt aaannnddd gggrrrooouuuppp cccooohhheeesssiiiooonnn cccaaannn bbbeee sssuuuppppppooorrrttteeeddd bbbyyy
fffaaaccciiillliiitttaaatttiiinnnggg ttthhheee aaawwwaaarrreeennneeessssss uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuooofff ooottthhheeerrrsss aaacccrrrooossssss aaasssssseeemmmbbblllyyy cccooommmpppooonnneeennntttsss aaannnddd bbbyyy
uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannndddiiinnnggg ttthhheee rrreeelllaaatttiiiooonnnssshhhiiippp ttthhheee vvviiisssiiitttooorrrsss eeessstttaaabbbllliiissshhh wwwiiittthhh ttthhheee cccooommmpppooonnneeennntttsss,,, wwwiiittthhh ttthhheee
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
aaasssssseeemmmbbblllyyy aaasss aaa wwwhhhooollleee aaannnddd wwwiiittthhh ttthhheee sssiiittteee...
YYYeeettt aaannnooottthhheeerrr sssuuubbbssseeettt ooo-------------------fff rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhh pppaaayyysss pppaaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrr aaatttttteeennntttiiiooonnn tttooo ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggiiicccaaalll ggguuuiiidddeeesss
(((ttthhheee ssstttuuudddyyy aaannnddd dddeeesssiiigggnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ooofff wwwhhhiiiccchhh iiisss aaa lllooonnnggg---ssstttaaannndddiiinnnggg eeexxxeeerrrccciiissseee also in the field of
HHHCCCIII))),,, ooonnneee ooofff ttthhheee lllooonnngggeeesssttt---llliiivvviiinnnggg tttyyypppeeesss ooofff ttteeeccchhhnnnooolllooogggyyy tttooo bbbeee uuussseeeddd aaattt hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee sssiiittteeesss...
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
FFFiiinnndddiiinnngggsss ooonnn ttthhheee eeeffffffeeeccctttsss ooofff iiinnndddiiivvviiiddduuuaaalll ggguuuiiidddeeesss (((pppaaarrrtttiiicccuuulllaaarrrlllyyy aaauuudddiiiooo ggguuuiiidddeeesss))) iiinnn
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
dddiiisssrrruuuppptttiiinnnggg sssoooccciiiaaalll aaassspppeeeccctttsss ooofff ttthhheee vvviiisssiiitttooorrr eeexxxpppeeerrriiieeennnccceee aaannnddd iiinnn fffooorrrccceeefffuuullllllyyy ssshhhaaapppiiinnnggg ttthhheee
tttrrraaajjjeeeccctttooorrryyy ooofff ttthhheee vvviiisssiiittt hhhaaavvveee bbbeeeeeennn wwwiiidddeeelllyyy dddooocccuuummmeeennnttteeeddd iiinnn mmmuuussseeeuuummm ssstttuuudddiiieeesss llliiittteeerrraaatttuuurrreee
(see for example Gammon and Burch, 2008), and have been addressed within
CSCW through designs including social elements to the interaction such as
“eavesdropping”, e.g. allowing pairs of visitors to hear the audio selected by their
companion (Aoki et al., 2002), and tagging and sharing facilities of what the
guide provides individual visitors to companions and larger groups (Cosley et al.,
2009; O’Hara et al., 2007).
90
Cite as: Ciolfi, L. (2013) "The Collaborative Work of Heritage: Open Challenges for CSCW",
in O.W. Bertelsen, L. Ciolfi, M.A. Grasso and G.A. Papadopoulos, (eds.)
ECSCW 2013: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work,

London: Springer, pp. 83-101
A final subset of contributions worth mentioning focuses on collaborative
interactions in online heritage resources, particularly regarding practices of
information retrieval and exchange. Digital repositories of heritage content can be
seen as “virtual exhibits” that can be visited without a physical presence, with
Second Life having been one of the early platforms to experiment with “virtual”
displays of collections (Urban et al., 2007), as well as enhanced tools for
archiving and recording used by visitors and by heritage staff alike, as adopted by
ttthhheee SSSpppuuurrrllloooccckkk MMMuuussseeeuuummm (((UUUSSSAAA))) sssiiinnnccceee ttthhheee mmmiiiddd 111999999000’’’sss (((MMMaaarrrtttyyy,,, 111999999999)))... TTThhhiiisss bbbooodddyyy ooofff
nnnnnnnn
wwwooorrrkkk iiisss sssiiigggnnniiifffiiicccaaannnttt aaasss hhheeerrriiitttaaagggeee iiinnnssstttiiitttuuutttiiiooonnnsss aaarrreee iiinnncccrrreeeaaasssiiinnnggglllyyy oooffffffeeerrriiinnnggg tttooo ttthhheee pppuuubbbllliiiccc
digital exhibitions as well as their physical holdings. oooooooo
iiiiiiii
ssssssss
Interactive installations as heritage artefacts
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and experiences.
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proximity of the exhibit. The artist can design to provide engagement, surprise
and humour for individual visitors and groups.
Another significant contribution relating to this theme is Benford et al.’s
(2011) framework for orchestrating performance and spectator experience with
the creation of artistic technological interventions. By ethnographically
examining the practice of the professional artist group Blast Theory in creating
and exhibiting interactive installations such as “Day of the Figurines” (a multi-
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