Research Roundup
August 23, 2010

Tools for the future
The near future
Social trends, etc.
Other articles, essays, and recent items of interest
Refresh and reflect

1. Is Foursquare a killer app for museums? According to a new study, "nonprofits' social media adoption outpaces all other sectors [in the U.S.] for third year in a row." And one of the splashiest social media application is Foursquare, which "lets users 'check in' to a place when they're there, tell friends where they are and track the history of where they've been and who they've been there with." In June, the blog Nonprofit Tech 2.0 made a list of "10 types of nonprofits that absolutely must add themselves to Foursquare" — with museums and art galleries at the top of their list (and zoos/aquariums at #4). However, a more recent report from market research firm Forrester shows that very few people are even familiar with location-based services like Foursquare, much less active users. 
2. The 2010 Horizon Report "identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative inquiry on college and university campuses within the next five years." Many of the trends and tools identified in the report also apply to museums.
3. Is graduate training in your future? If so, you might want to consult these guides to graduate programs in public history (from the National Council on Public History), nonprofit-focused graduate programs (from About.com: Nonprofit Charitable Orgs), or top grad schools for corporate sustainability (from SmartPlanet).
4. According to Popular Science, a new Japanese telepresence robot pushes the boundaries of creepy — but it may also be a harbinger of future interactive exhibits in museums.
5. Green design: It's all happening at the San Jose zoo. How the Happy Hollow Park & Zoo became the first zoo to earn LEED Gold certification.

1. Attractions: The Future of Out-of-Home Entertainment. Some intriguing research and analysis from Randy White, a leading consultant for "family and children's leisure & entertainment venues" Three key findings:
   • From 2004 to 2009 there has been an increase in the total leisure time  for people age 15 and over, for both genders across all income levels and for all types of households with the exception of families with children age 6-12 and none younger than age 6. Perception is a different matter, however: many people believe that they have less leisure time, not more.
   • While leisure time spent in the digital world is increasing, both time and expenditures for out-of-home entertainment near the home are decreasing.
   • The only positive non-mobile out-of-home entertainment trend that may give us a clue is the increased entertainment spending on trips and vacation.
2. According to one technology expert, "The Future of Interfaces is Mobile, Screen-less and Invisible."  But see the cautionary article about technology predictions in the other articles section below. (Via the MIT Technology Review.)
3. Three new reports from Civic Ventures explore generational issues in the nonprofits workforce, with particular attention to demographics, career patterns, and worker motivations. (Via About.com: Nonprofit Charitable Orgs.) Might be worth reading together with this article from SmartPlanet: Swarms and simulations: 10 ways your job will change by 2020.

1. How Libraries Stack Up: 2010, a new report from OCLC, "examines the economic, social and cultural impact of libraries in the United States." So far, there is no comparable report on the nation's museums. You can learn more about the future of libraries by watching this lecture from Susan Gibbons (University of Rochester library): Catching Glimpses of the Future of Libraries through Library User Studies.
2. There's money in tourism ..., at least from a global perspective, says the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development): 

   Tourism is an important player in the worldwide economy: In 2009, it accounted for just over 9% of global GDP and employed about one in twelve workers, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. As a sector, international tourism has been growing at a slightly faster pace than the world economy. Despite the recession and the downturn in tourism numbers, that trends looks likely to continue over the long-term. Employment in tourism is also growing relatively strongly.

3. For a global perspective on population trends, see the 2010 World Population Data Sheet from the Population Reference Bureau. Around the world, "many countries [including the United States] are facing a shrinking pool of their working-age populations, often considered to be ages 15 to 64, to support the population ages 65+, jeopardizing pension guarantees and long-term health care programs for the elderly."

1. From the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the United Kingdom, a comprehensive report on Understanding the drivers, impacts and value of engagement in culture and sport: an over-arching summary of the research. The report looks at "what drives engagement in culture and sport, marshalling the evidence on the impacts of engagement, and developing and deploying new ways of generating economic values for engagement." Download the full report here. 
2. In What's Wrong With 'X Is Dead', writer Alexis Madrigal refutes the recent WIRED magazine cover story declaring "The Web is Dead." His response: "Technologies die violent deaths less often than we think," and the web browser is going to be with us for a long time to come.
3. 50 Awesome Art Museum Blogs compiled by bestcollegesonline.com.
4. Good advice for data collectors: 7 Habits of Highly Successful Surveys (from Survey Magazine) and Data is gold — but only if you can get to its real value (advice for fundraisers from the chief scientist at Blackbaud).
5. The Subtle Art of Provoking Serendipity. Advice for creating "an ecosystem of innovation, a culture of creativity," courtesy of The Idea Hive.

1. World Timelines from The British Museum is a flash-based website that places "2,000 artefacts from museums around the British Isles in their geographical and chronological context." 
2. New Survey Finds Your Choice of Flavors Says More About You Than You Think. Apparently, "fans of tart flavors (such as citrus) are the happiest across a range of personal and professional areas — more so than individuals who prefer spicy, sweet, or savory flavors." The research was sponsored by Lawry's, a manufacturer of spices and flavorings — so take it with a grain of salt.
3. Got foam? In search of the perfect beer. Includes an interview with a professor of "brewing sciences." How can I get that job?
4. Looking into the soul of fruit with MRI scans. Radiology + fruits and vegetables = compelling animations.
5. Here's a satire of college and university websites from xkcd. Does your museum's website do a better job of serving users?