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Cincinnati Museum Center Launches New Web Platform

Designed in partnership with Openfield Creative

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) revealed today a new Web platform designed in partnership with Cincinnati-based Openfield Creative and CMC’s digital engagement, informatics and marketing teams.

The new Web site is built on a Drupal platform, and provides significantly enhanced functionality and shareability. Users are able to navigate the three museums, OMNIMAX Theater, library, Union Terminal, and aspects of our nature preserve and collections facility to get a complete picture of everything Cincinnati Museum Center has to offer. Through dynamic planning tools, users can develop customized experiences based on age, interest and various other categories making the time they spend with us as rich as possible.

“Cincinnati Museum Center has so much to offer our visitors and our researchers. The opportunity to build a platform leveraging the benefits of the open source community provides great functionality and flexibility and will allow us to continue to build great tools in the future,” said Shawn Mummert, CMC’s informatics champion.

Originally launched in 2001, the new Cincymuseum.org Web site now offers a fresh new look that is captivating and bright, and is designed to reflect the kind of inspiration that we offer through exhibits, programs and activities. Rich images have been incorporated into every aspect of the site to better represent the kind of experience people can expect when they come to Cincinnati Museum Center.

Josh Barnes, cofounder of Openfield Creative explained his firm’s approach and passion for working with CMC to design this new Web platform, “As visitors to Museum Center as children, and now as parents, one thing has always been clear to us: There are so many ways to experience CMC. Every visit can be different. But presenting such a wide variety of information so that it’s quickly and easily understood can be complex. We gave ourselves the challenge of creating an online experience that opens people’s eyes to the different ways families, individuals and groups can experience Museum Center.”

A key focal point of this phase of CMC’s new platform is the curated experience that is offered through suggested itineraries. With more intuitive search and planning tools you can easily plan your next visit, follow your areas of interest and bookmark rich content for future online learning. This new platform also allows for deeper integrations with social media, allowing you to share your favorite experiences with friends and family.

The new cincymuseum.org Web site is one result of a new way CMC has been thinking about technology. Beginning in fall 2010, CMC began organizing staff around the idea that the technology systems at the museum should work more effectively together. The goal is increased data sharing and easier access to information and content management. The result today is a better way to plan your visit, conduct your research, share your interests and come back for more history, science and curiosity.

“It is an exciting time for museums and the web. The tools of storytelling and research continue to evolve,” said Douglass W. McDonald, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Museums are about the promise of learning. We are excited to unlock the lessons held by treasures from our past and want to fuel the hope of new discoveries. Technologies that help us sort your interests, share your experiences and access vast amounts of content keep museums, and particularly Cincinnati Museum Center, as the family destination of choice.”

Barnes and his Openfield Creative partners, Brian Keenan and Brandon Blangger concluded this phase of CMC’s Web transformation by offering this statement; “Places like the Cincinnati Museum Center improve the quality of life and help form the identity of our community. We were all absolutely thrilled to be entrusted with working with such an important Cincinnati icon. It has been a one-of-a-kind project for our team.”

About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution as well as national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, Museum Center was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Our Union Terminal has been voted the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within Cincinnati Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, Cincinnati Museum Center welcomes one million plus visitors annually. Cincinnati Museum Center gratefully acknowledges operating and capital support from the taxpayers of Hamilton County and the State of Ohio. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org

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