Canada Science and Technology Museum

In 1967 the Canada Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) was opened, housed in a former bakery warehouse. Now one corporation oversees three museums in the city: the Museum of Agriculture, the Museum of Aviation and Space and the Museum of Science and Technology, the last of which still resides in that bakery warehouse, from which they are still looking to move even 43 years on. You can read more about the museum online at http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/about/CSTM_Origins.cfm

It was created by a governmental decree; this was the place where Canada’s historical scientific and technological artefacts were to be held and showcased, where it should be shown how science and technology formed Canada and the stories of Canadian heritage could be told. The museum does admirably at this task, and the first thing you encounter as you enter the museum is a big exhibition all about Canadian inventors and how we can also be innovative too.

Canada Science and Technology Museum

This was my first science museum – the previous entries have been about science centres – and it was interesting for me to see the difference in styles between the two. It must be remembered that museums have a collection of pieces that it is up to them to put on display to tell a history; science centres can exist purely on creating new exhibits based on the ideas they want to portray. Ideally there would be a balance between the two – at the Ontario Science Centre I was told that they were looking to bring some objects into exhibitions to show in practice the science that the public was discovering there, and I think science museums can easily use more innovation to engage the public.

Whilst I know that CSTM has only about 2-3% of its collection on show, I do feel that they suffer from a bit of glass case syndrome. Whilst talking to one of the curators I was told that they employ a range of interpretation strategies, from hands-on to text and videos. The staff are fluently bilingual and it was interesting to go around and ask them what their favourite exhibit was, because that shows that they are enthusiastic about their jobs.

It is here I must strike a note of caution, as I was told by one of the staff that they feel underused in some ways in the museum. Unlike Sudbury and Toronto, exhibitions are created by the ‘backroom’ staff, leaving the floor staff purely there as interpreters for the public. According to one worker, their ideas are disregarded completely even though they are the ones on the floor interacting with the public, which is sadly a trait I have seen elsewhere in science museums.

Nevertheless there is a balance to be struck as ever, and CSTM does it in a way that is full of integrity for the curatorial method. Some pieces are collection simply for preservation but not display; other are displayed and some of the problems of putting them on display become useful talking points for discovering the history of the pieces. For example, when showing the inside of a piece, a light was needed, but a light would also damage it over time. A button is chosen for illuminating it for a short time, but that is also used as a way to ask visitors why they think that is the case – problem turned into engagement strategy!

CSTM is a museum for the whole country, and as such needs to serve all four-and-a-half time zones. The internet and new media play a large part in this, and the website contains many education packages for schools and individuals. They have started creating bilingual films about objects within the collection and uploading them to Youtube, which I think is an excellent way to get to see more than just what’s on show in Ottawa. There is also a drive within the museum to find a place on the internet, through social networking, Twitter and so on, and maintain a solid presence.

The museum also owns a mobile planetarium, which is used for schools, camps and evening sessions. It also owns a 15in telescope that is on display and can be viewed on request. Specialised staff provide an expert and fun interpretation for visitors as needed. They also host Café Scientifique meetings on the last Tuesday of each month and Twitter plays a large part in this. The overall thrust in the new media sphere is that they are not there to keep control of their collection, but to be catalysts for dialogue about it, and I think they’ve got exactly the right idea there. Trying to hold back information on the internet is like nailing oxygen to the wall; the best way to use it is to let the air flow freely to enrich the world and let it come back to you in time.

A science museum, as I said, is a different beast from a science centre. It must be said however that no amount of words or interactives will replace the extremely important role that staff play in the visitor experience. It is therefore important to note that those people you meet on the floors must be engaged with their surroundings rather than merely guarding it against the rabble. Science centres do it well by getting the staff to design the space and what goes in it; science museums, in my view, would do well to consider something similar.

CSTM is a good science museum with some excellent interaction strategies, some of the newer exhibitions such as the digital exhibition are particularly well thought-out and designed. It is also extremely good to see a sense of humour within exhibits, and in terms of making Canadians proud of their scientific and technological heritage, I can wholeheartedly recommend the fun, bold and professional way that CSTM works. Well worth a visit!