Experience, Learning, and Research: Coordinating the Multiple Roles of On-line Exhibitions

On-line exhibitions are complex undertakings that serve the needs of diverse audiences. Users range from general interest visitors with little knowledge of the subject, to teachers looking for supporting materials for classrooms, to amateur scholars using the site as a research tool. With effective coordination, the same on-line exhibition can support these multiple roles. Three elements are important for this coordination: layered content, multiple points of entry, and connecting storylines. Layered content divides the exhibition content into several distinct tiers. Multiple points of entry give direct access to these distinct layers of content. And third, connecting storylines allow visitors to follow a theme or topic between the tiers. On-line exhibition organizers can use this multiple-tier approach to produce better-coordinated on-line content that meets the ever-increasing expectations of ever-more sophisticated audiences.