The "Virtual Museum"1: New Perspectives For Museums to Present Objects and Information Using the Internet as a Knowledge Base and Communication System

The relationship between museums and mass media as well as the possible impact of information technology on museums are described. The “virtual museum” is defined as a means to establish access, context, and outreach by using information technology. The Internet opens the “virtual museum” to an interactive dialog with virtual visitors and invites them to make a virtual museum experience that is related to a real museum experience. Some research is described on how the Internet can be used as a knowledge base and trends from surveys how museums and virtual visitors use the Internet as a communication tool.