The Harewood House, is home to the Queen of England’s cousin, the Earl of Harewood. It’s houses a collection of art and photography of the family’s and provides an intimate and little bit more inviting of an atmosphere for its visitors.
Anyway, in the beginning, I had high hopes for this audio tour. I expected it to cut down on the time my mom spent in front of each piece of art, reading every single bit of information that she could absorb. However, my hopes were crushed when not only did she decide to listen to the audio tour, she also invested in the tour book (not brochure), and bought additional little booklets for individual art works.
It does not end at that. Oh, no. My mom and all of our parents alike, come from a time when technology was much different than it is today. In her 1968 article, “Museums Today”, Sidney Galler addresses the roles that museums play in society, and how important science and technology is to museums. She quotes, “computers aid museums.” However, at this point, some believed they were “reaching a point in their development much like that which confronted certain dinosaurs about 200 million years ago. Their size and bulk are such that most the incoming energy (dollars) is consumer by the process of maintaining the bulk (computers).”
I mention this because, the technology used in museums today is newer technology. Our parents did not grow up with PCs or tiny devices that hold 5,000 songs. Therefore, when they venture out and opt to use the audio / visual tours it takes time to learn and become acquainted with the tool.
The Harewood House did not prove to be a quick tour for my mom and myself. There she was, three rooms behind me. She was juggling six books, and demanding that I help her with this “stupid audio thing.”
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