My Virtual Museum Tour Experience

By: Dimatulac, Aaron Joseph F.

Museums are usually visited in person by

individuals who are interested in the fields of arts and
humanities. With the advent of the modernized era
of technology, engineers and developers are
constantly innovating ways to bridge the gap
between reality (physical space) and virtual reality
(virtual space). By doing so, the interest of museum
curators and professionals seek to join up the
museum experience with the online experience. The
museum is taken beyond the boundaries of a physical
building and allowing visitors to the view museum
online (Patten, n.d.).

The British Museum was founded in 1753

and opened itself to the public in 1759. At that time, it was considered as the first national museum to cover
all fields of human knowledge. Up until present day, it is open to all visitors across the world. The museum’s
drive for insatiable curiosity for the world, its deep belief in objects as a reliable witness and documentation
of human history, and sound research with the desire to expand and share the human knowledge has led it
to develop a virtual museum called "The Museum of the World." This online virtual museum by The British
Museum is an interactive experience through time that features some of the most amazing and fascinating
objects, pieces of art, and artifacts found throughout human history. It also offers first-hand knowledge about
the objects listed in this virtual museum from its very
own curators.

Navigating the interface of this virtual

museum is very easy. All of the museum pieces and
set of collections are chronologically arranged, which
gives its viewers a unique “travelling through time”
experience. It features artworks, and artifacts across
five continents namely Africa, America, Asia, Europe,
and Oceania. For me, this is one of its best features as
it provides opportunities to know and learn about the
history of almost every part of the world. In terms of
knowledge and backgrounds of the pieces, I can say
that The Museum of the World is by far the most informative virtual museum platform out there. It includes
first-hand knowledge about the pieces, and at the same time incorporates the inputs and explanation of the
curators who are well-respected experts on their fields through audio, which really gives off a "VIP" kind of
experience of touring the entire museum.

Overall, the British Museum, with its curiosity and pursuit to share expand and share the human
knowledge, has developed a virtual museum that is easy to navigate. It also has good web design; simple yet
elegant. Most of all, the workers and curators of the museum have done an excellent job in producing one of
the most informative and sophisticated virtual museum tours that I have experienced. I highly recommend
this for anyone who is looking for a more accessible way to learn.