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    Foreign ethnology collections in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1996) Livingstone, Rosanne
    Museums today face many challenges. Some of these affect parts of collections which, as a result of changing policies and practices, have become inactive and/or no longer relevant to the mission of the museum. At the same time these changes have resulted in new collections being developed. The subject of this study is foreign ethnology collections (excluding Pacific) held in four metropolitan museums in New Zealand, focusing in particular on those in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The development of the foreign ethnology collections in these museums shows that they followed a similar pattern to museums in general, and colonial museums in particular, although each has its own unique history. As a result of its early policy and practices the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa has smaller, more disparate collections than the other three museums, and unlike these museums nearly all of its foreign ethnology material was passively acquired. Current policy and practices in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa relating to the foreign ethnology collections have meant that they are virtually inactive. In comparison, the foreign ethnology collections in the other metropolitan museums are fairly active. In addition to the existing collections all four metropolitan museums are developing a new type of foreign ethnology collection relating to the cultural diversity of this country, in particular Asian immigrant groups. The future for these new collections is promising. The future for the other foreign ethnology collections, however, is less certain, especially for those held in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa although there is potential for them to become at least partially active. It is proposed that the development of a national computer database would assist in making decisions about the future development, management and use of all foreign ethnology collections.
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    Developing digital media for museum exhibitions : environment, collaboration and delivery : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Museum Studies at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Phillips, Neil Anthony
    This thesis explores the development and deployment of digital media in museum exhibitions. This thesis aims to discover how developing digital media contributes to new exhibition methodology and development processes in museums by investigating the development of the Tangata o le Moana exhibition at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa). A detailed study of the Tangata o le Moana exhibition at Te Papa, and two digital media elements within it; the New Home: Land of Plenty? video installation, and the Pacific Beats Mixing Booth, are the focus of the research. My experience of the exhibition is recorded. This is followed by participant interviews with the 3D designer and Interpreter. Development documents and organizational archives reveal motivations and goals in developing digital media for exhibitions. In order to place the research in a wider context of exhibition design and visitor behaviour, it focused on three key elements in exhibition creation - environment (the physical and social space), collaboration (the effect of the relationships on development) and delivery (the exhibition). This data is compared with current literature regarding exhibition development. The research demonstrates that by incorporating digital media into exhibitions a new relationship in the exhibition space develops. New museological ideas that place exhibitions in an open-ended framework can align with constructivist learning techniques. Combined with experiential environments and creating liminal experiences, there is significant potential for digital media to contribute to new exhibition methodologies. The environmental effects of digital media combined with the focus on the media content rather than ‘real things’ indicates a divergence from traditional museum practice. The thesis argues that these experiential and liminal experiences are largely incidental. Narrative forms of exhibition development predominate. This indicates that involving collaborators with expertise in digital media and experience design is not contributing to developing new exhibition practices.
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    Engaging practices : re-thinking narrative exhibition development in light of narrative scholarship : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2009) Lambert, Stephanie Jane McKinnon
    This thesis bridges narrative theory and the practice of developing narrative exhibitions in museums. It aims to show how an understanding of narrative theory provides a dynamic context for evaluating ongoing exhibition practices and adapting them to changing attitudes and aspirations. For practitioners within the museum sector it introduces a rich body of previously under-utilised scholarship along with a method of interfacing it with museum practice. The idea of deriving ideas for museums from other sectors is not new. Museums increasingly embraced narrative in the 1980s after seeing its value in attracting audiences to film, theatre and theme-parks. Then it was assumed that what was relevant in one sector would be equally relevant in another. However, the interim upsurge of Media Studies suggests that rigorous examination of how each medium operates is necessary in order to identify similar constraints and affordances before scholarship from one area of practice can be appropriately applied in another sector. In opening a path for museum practitioners to gain insight from narrative practitioners in other sectors, the thesis intends also to open the way for knowledge to flow from the discipline of museum studies out into other areas of narrative practice, where cross-disciplinary approaches have already gained ground. At the outset, a context is established through a review of narrative literature. Two different approaches are used. Firstly a broad review of different ways to approach narrative is carried out and a typology of narrative is developed. Secondly commonalities are identified between narrative in exhibitions and narrative practice in other media. Exhibition practices are then described in detail, focusing on experience at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, where research was enriched by in-depth interviews with exhibition development staff. Te Papa’s development of narrative exhibitions is traced, and two case studies demonstrate how their model is put into practice to achieve narrative delivery within the museum galleries. For museum professionals and narrative practitioners in other fields, this thesis provides an opportunity to examine processes of narrative delivery against a backdrop of theory. It makes a useful link between the museum sector and other areas of narrative practice.