Museums in the Infosphere: reshaping value creation

This paper provides a theoretical contribution by investigating how digital technologies are currently reshaping the museum value chain in the Infosphere, an information environment where boundaries between the offline and online worlds are rapidly becoming blurred. This study applies Porter’s value chain to museum management to understand (1) how ICTs impact the primary production processes of museums, and (2) how museums are currently relocating in the new emerging environment. The study is conducted through an extensive literature review on museums and digital technologies. The research results identify four approaches to digital transformation: (1) a back-office approach to improve the preservation of cultural heritage; (2) an onsite approach to enhance the quality of the museum experience; (3) an online approach to extend the museum experience beyond museum doors; and (4) an onlife approach based on multisensorial and interactive technologies, LOD and IoT, to create a wider, more accessible and hybrid museum experience.