5 March 2003
Virtual visitors to the National Museum of Australia will be able to create their own personal museum online thanks to the latest identity management and web technologies provided by Novell as part of a major sponsorship deal.
The National Museum, opened in Canberra in March 2001, explores stories about the land, nation and people of Australia in a series of technologically innovative, dynamic and highly interactive displays.
The Museum is now taking this dynamic interactivity onto the web.
Darren Peacock, Director of Information and Communications Technology at the Museum, is excited by the opportunity the sponsorship has created for the Museum to connect with new audiences ."Contemporary museums need to be accessible and interactive to excite visitors and to capture their imagination. At the National Museum of Australia we are using innovative technologies to make the Museum's fascinating collection accessible to our diverse and far-flung audiences," said Mr Peacock.
My Museum will become the centrepiece to the Museum's highly interactive new public website. Through a clever adaptation of Novell's secure identity management system and web services, users will be able to customise and personalise their online experience and create their own unique 'mini-museum' from the National Museum of Australia's extensive on-line exhibitions and collections.
'By offering visitors the ability to customise the site to match their interests, you're giving people the chance to experience the museum in a similar way to how they might wander through it - regardless of their location. My Museum will be a special space, which visitors can return to time after time and which they can also share with other users online,' said Mr Peacock.
General Manager of Novell Australia and New Zealand, David Lenz, said he felt there was a strong alignment between the National Museum's mission and Novell's vision to create a world without information barriers.
'This sponsorship is an excellent example of how technology can work within a large national institution to open it up to the community at large. The National Museum is in Canberra, but you won't have to be in Canberra to experience the stories of Australian people and become a part of the community that it creates,' said Mr Lenz.
About the National Museum of AustraliaDrawing 2 million visitors since it opened almost 3 years ago, the National Museum of Australia has won many Australian and international awards, including the Canberra and Capital Region's Major Tourist Attraction in 2003. Its five permanent exhibitions are free and it is currently staging Outlawed! The World's Rebels, Revolutionaries and Bushrangers, using extensive multimedia and interactives to explore national outlaw legends.
About NovellNovell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) is the leading provider of Net business solutions designed to secure and power the networked world. Novell help organisations solve complex business challenges, simplify their systems and processes, and capture new opportunities with one Net solutions. Novell provides worldwide channel, consulting, education and developer programs to support its products.
For further information:
Novell: Rebecca Cook Tel: (03) 9866 4722 Email: rcook@bcg.com.au
National Museum: Leanda Coleman Tel: (02) 6208 5338 Email:l.coleman@nma.gov.au