Month: October 2026

 

In her TedX talk, titled “Opening Up the Museum,” Nina Simon gives numerous examples of the way museums have invited visitors to be active participants (TEDx Talks, 2012). She also gives staggering statistics on how employing a participatory museum model in the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, more than doubled the number of visitors in one year (TEDx Talks, 2012, 8:02). If you are looking to work in museums, I highly recommend watching her TedX talk. I also think some of the ideas could be employed in libraries as well.  

Nina Simon provides examples of how visitors can become active participants through the creation of art (TEDxTalks, 2012). However, the articles in the hyperlinked museums module also demonstrated how active participation is encouraged through the use of multiple senses. We are probably most familiar with using our sense of sight in a museum. We typically are only allowed to look at artifacts and artworks. The sense of touch may be another common sense employed in museums. In my experience, interactive exhibits involving touch are most common in science museums. How are museums incorporating the other three senses into their exhibits? I wanted to explore how sound, taste, and smell are being utilized in museums to create engaging exhibits. 

Sound 

This idea of sound in museums appeals to me because I love to listen to ambient playlists, like this one, while I study because it transports me to another world. Similarly, the Royal Museums Greenwich used the power of sound to transport visitors when they boarded the historical ship, the Cutty Sark (Charr, 2024). Visitors can experience “the sounds of the ship’s golden age, including weather conditions, the creaking of wooden decks, and the loading of tea chests” (Charr, 2024, para. 2). Sounds pretty cool to me (no pun intended). 

Taste 

Would you eat soil? I can’t say I would but if your answer is yes, then the Museum of Edible Earth has got you covered. Eating soil is “an ancient global practice” called geophagy and is defined as “the intentional custom of eating earth, which includes soil and earth-like substances such as clay and chalk” (The Museum of Edible Earth, n.d.-a, para. 3). Before I describe the museum in more depth, I’d like to pass along the museum’s disclaimer that “eating earth is not recommended by food authorities. Proceed at your own risk” (The Museum of Edible Earth, n.d.-a, para. 8). 

The museum describes themselves as “participatory” (The Museum of Edible Earth, n.d.-a, para. 6 and 7) and that is evident by the fact that they allow you to taste the soils. However, they take this a step further by inviting visitors to contribute to the soil database by describing what they think the soil tasted like (The Museum of Edible Earth, n.d.-a). For example, if you navigate to the soil called “Green Clay Chunks,” in the catalogue, you will find a review section with people sharing their thoughts and some even sharing taste testing videos of themselves (The Museum of Edible Earth, n.d.-b). 

Smell

I highly recommend the article Exhale Through the Gift Shop by Becky Ferreira. The article gives examples of museums utilizing scents in their exhibits (both pleasant and unpleasant ones) (Ferreira, 2024). The SS Great Britain Experience is one example given (Ferreira, 2024). The exhibit allows you to experience the “sights, smells and sounds of Victorian life at sea” (Bristol Dockyards, n.d., “Step Aboard the Ship” section). Some of these smells include urine and vomit (gross but accurate) (Ferreira, 2024). 

I realized as I wrote this blog post that I only gave examples of unpleasant tasting experiences (soil) and unpleasant smelling experiences (vomit).  Nonetheless, I hope I was able to illustrate how museums are engaging multiple senses to create a participatory museum environment. 

References 

Bristol Dockyards. (n.d.). SS Great Britain Experience. SS Great Britain Trust. https://www.bristoldockyards.org/ss-great-britain-experience 

Charr, M. (2024, December 16). How Cutty Sark built a location-aware soundscape. MuseumNext. https://www.museumnext.com/article/immersive-soundscapes-on-the-cutty-sark-blending-technology-and-heritage/ 

Ferreira, B. (2024, November 3). Exhale through the gift shop. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/science/scent-exhibits-museum.html 

The Museum of Edible Earth. (n.d.-a). About [The “About” page for the Museum of Edible Earth]. https://museumofedible.earth/about/ 

The Museum of Edible Earth. (n.d.-b). Green Clay Chunks [Soil in catalogue]. https://museumofedible.earth/product/french-green-clay/ 

TEDx Talks. (2012, November 7). Opening up the museum: Nina Simon @ TEDxSantaCruz [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIcwIH1vZ9w 

 

A topic that resonated with me in the Hyperlinked Communities module was the topic of mental health, particularly loneliness. The article, “Hungry for Connection: Addressing Loneliness Through the Library,” discusses a type of relationship called “weak ties” and how libraries help foster them (Rich, 2024). These are the relationships we form outside of our close circle of friends and family that are more casual in nature (Rich, 2024). Rich (2024) states that, “these social connections [weak ties] help shape a feeling of belonging that one needs to combat feelings of loneliness” (para. 8). 

I wanted to create a guide of steps people can take to meet people through the libraries. The steps are general enough that they can be applied to any local library. I listed them in order of what I consider “easiest” to “hardest” from the perspective of an introvert (me). I used my local library system, Hennepin County Library, as an example. 

1. Do your routine activities at the library, not at home: Do you read, study, watch Netflix, or do a hobby, alone in your home? Why not do it at the library? Although you may not be directly interacting with people, it can be nice to be around others.

2. Attend an online event: Dip your toes into meeting new people by attending an online event. For some people, Zoom interactions can feel less daunting than face-to-face meetings (for others it may be the opposite). An added benefit is that barriers to access related to transportation are removed. Find an event that interests you and try it out. Hennepin County Library has an “Events” webpage, where under “Location” it allows you to filter by “Online events” (Hennepin County Library, n.d.-a). 

3. Attend an in person event: The next step could be to attend an event in person. Look at your local library’s calendar for upcoming events. If you want to meet people, pick an event that is more social, not just a presentation. A recurring event may be a good idea (ex: book club) since you may see some of the same people each week which will help foster stronger connections. The article, “‘Free, non-judgemental, accessible’: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and wellness” mentions an individual named Kerri who participated in Melbourne City Library’s “Conversation Club” where frequent participation helped her stave off loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic (Hasan, 2023). 

4. Volunteer: This one is more of a commitment than the other three ideas. However, when you help others in your community, it can help create a sense of purpose. The Hennepin County Library has a “Volunteer” webpage that explains what types of positions are available and how to apply (Hennepin County Library, n.d.-b). 

I hope these tips are useful. Let me know if you have tried or will try any of them out!  

References 

Rich, H. (2024, February 5). Hungry for connection: Addressing loneliness through the library. Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/news/hungry-for-connection-addressing-loneliness-through-the-library 

Hasan, T.N. (2023, June 27). ‘Free, non-judgemental, accessible’: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and wellness. SBS Bangla. https://www.sbs.com.au/language/bangla/en/article/free-nonjudgmental-and-accessible-how-your-local-library-is-a-sanctuary-of-health-and-wellness/t15blzsi9 

Hennepin County Library. (n.d.-a). Events [Webpage]. https://hclib.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?_gl=1*tlohbv*_ga*MTQxNjYwODM2NS4xNzg1Njg1NzEw*_ga_HJ2JEWCJY3*czE3OTE2NTk5NDUkbzkkZzEkdDE3OTE2NjAyNzIkajU5JGwwJGgw 

Hennepin County Library. (n.d.-b). Volunteer [Webpage]. https://www.hclib.org/about/volunteer