Maltese museum and heritage sites : perceptions through the lens of online resources

Abstract

This dissertation studies the public’s reception of the online resources made available by Heritage Malta, specifically for the period from January 2019 to May 2020. This period was chosen in order to gain an insight on online resources which were being produced before the pandemic to that during the first months of its spread. The study analyses the current literature and research with respect to online cultural heritage dissemination and reception. Hence, this research project aims to address a number of salient questions; How did the public engage in online cultural heritage resources during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic? How did Heritage Malta reconfigure its methods of outreach to ensure public accessibility during this period of uncertainty? Are there alternative approaches which can be implemented by cultural organisations to better manage the changes and requirements that emerged during the current situation? Therefore, this research project utilizes the triangulation of data trends provided by Heritage Malta, local and international online public search trends, and results obtained from a questionnaire which were disseminated among the public using the snowballing method. The study concluded, that the use of online resources suffered an overall decrease proportional to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was expected that; when museums and sites were closed to the public, the use of online resources increases. However, the accumulated data expressed that the public did not fully engage with online cultural heritage resources as expected. Due to the immediate change in scenario; which indicates lack of preparation and slow adaptation, although online initiates were being put forward, the digital medium was not adequately utilized to cater for public engagement and communication required during the lockdown period.