The 5 Essential Software Tools for Museums in 2024

Recently I was at a flea market in Palm Springs and saw a maker Lisa Raphael who reclaimed antiques that no longer functioned and made functional lights out of them. Her sign read “ No subjects were harmed in the making of this art”.

The pieces were likely ready to go to the garbage, and she instead created beautiful pieces out of them, giving new life to the old. It was the intersection where old met new that intrigued me.

As a daughter of an antique collector and dealer myself I often wonder what the perfect balance is between being the protector of authenticity and truth, and being the innovator. When do old and new come together perfectly and when should they stay in their own lanes? 

In the case of Lisa (who I recommend you check out, for her art and also her adorable pugs), she takes treasures that may never be seen again and brings them back to life. In the case of a Museum, people rely on you for the authenticity, the truth, like how Lisa calls her work Art, not Antiques, you too have to find the best way to be experts of the authentic story, while also embracing the technology that helps you stay relevant, interesting and intriguing. 

The Trust factor, that museum leaders are custodians of is critical. The American Alliance for Museums highlights this in ‘Exploring Museums and Trust’, the public trusts museums. So this poses the next question, how do you possibly choose software that puts you on the cutting edge of technology, while also being the keepers of history. 

The answer - carefully. You do your homework, you consider digital security, authenticity and ownership. 

We have highlighted 5 softwares that we believe bring you the greatest ability to innovate in your museum, while still displaying great regard for the authentic stories you protect. 

While your at it, take a look at the top 5 trends we're seeing for museum marking in 2024 to boost your exhibit engagement and community presence.

What is the best software for museums?

Veevart - Best software for museum management

A comprehensive museum management platform, Veevart streamlines operations across ticketing, memberships, fundraising, and visitor engagement. The software is easy to use and really helps Museums hone in on their audience. They are often cited for their accessible customer service, on Capterra, an independent review site.  

Top Features:

• Ticketing and Shop: Streamline ticket sales and manage your online shop for increased revenue.
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Cultivate strong relationships with donors, members, and patrons through Salesforce integration.
• Fundraising Tools: Support fundraising efforts with features tailored to museums.
• Rentals Management: Track and manage facility rentals for additional revenue streams.

Artwork Archive - Best museum collection management software

A collection management system designed for ease of use and versatility, Artwork Archive is ideal for cataloging and managing collections of any size. 

Whether you are managing your collection for exhibits or you are managing a private collection, this software is an easy but effective way to organize your inventory and track collections.  Of course it is a lot of work to get set up, because you need to enter the collection items, but the system does allow for bulk uploads if you require it, and the reviews are quite positive when it comes to their response times and flexibility onboarding new clients. 

Top Features:

• Collection Cataloging: Organize and track collections with detailed record-keeping and customizable fields.
• Exhibition Management: Plan and manage both permanent and temporary exhibitions effectively.
• Asset Location Tracking: Keep tabs on artwork location, whether on display or in storage.
• Collaboration Features: Facilitate teamwork and secure sharing of collections across multiple locations.

memoryKPR - Best software for storytelling and audience engagement

memoryKPR is a digital asset management and storytelling platform. This platform makes it super easy to create digital story pages (with built-in QR codes) for sharing in your Museum.

This technology also makes it easy to gather stories from visitors and keep all your digital assets in one spot with a built-in content library that serves as a digital asset management system for sorting, tagging and using AI to find any image in seconds. 

I see museums using this platform not only to easily showcase stories, but also to gather thoughts and stories from their visitors, fostering deeper connections with the museum and its collections.

The team is from Canada and although they serve clients around the globe, that Canadian kindness seems to shine in their customer service reviews, always accessible and always helpful are phrases that have been used to describe their customer service. 

The other thing that stands out with this technology is their commitment to privacy, only capturing agnostic data, ensuring you own all your content and complying with Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles to ensure ownership, possession, control and access to your assets at all times. 

Top Features:

• Digital Storytelling: Create engaging exhibits with embedded QR codes and interactive content.
• Visitor Story Gathering: Invite visitors to contribute their stories, fostering deeper connections.
• Digital Asset Management: Organize, tag, and sort digital assets with powerful search functionality.
• Private Member Community: Establish exclusive online spaces for members to engage.
• New Revenue Stream:  As a museum, you can collect donations on any stories you create on the memoryKPR platform.
• Commitment to Privacy: Prioritizes data ownership, security, and compliance with Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles. Their privacy statement and the treatment of your assets is a rare but refreshing approach. 

eMembership by Museum Anywhere - Best software for membership management

Designed to elevate the member experience, eMembership by Museum Anywhere streamlines membership management with features like digital membership cards, automated renewal reminders, and customizable perks and discounts.

Member engagement is an important task and so leveraging this technology to ensure your members feel they are valued and get a more customized experience than every day visitors, will help with attraction and retention. The ‘fear of missing out’ tactic is high here, when every day visitors see your members not having to wait in line, easily scan in and also get additional perks, it will pique the interest of all the visitors. 

We like the amount of museums this company serves and the focus they have on member experience, making technology easy and accessible.

Top Features:

• Digital Membership Cards: Provide members with convenient digital access.
• Automated Renewals: Simplify the renewal process and increase member retention.
• Customizable Perks: Offer tailored benefits and discounts for different membership levels.
• User-Friendly Interface: Easy-to-use platforms for both museums and members. This company can also support Museum Apps, although experts suggest this is not a necessity, and in fact can sometimes lead to unnecessary complications with visitors. 
• Member Engagement Focus: Features designed to enhance member experience and foster loyalty.

VolunteerLocal - Best software for volunteer management

Recognizing the invaluable contributions of volunteers, VolunteerLocal simplifies volunteer management through a user-friendly interface. This software is a great solution for managing your volunteer schedules.

Many museums couldn’t do it without their volunteers, so of course we want to make their lives easy, this software does that. We like the ease of use and simplicity of this platform. Your lives are complicated enough, technology is supposed to simplify things. 

Top Features:

• Volunteer Scheduling: Create and manage volunteer schedules with ease.
• Multi-platform: You have the flexibility to use a kiosk, desktop or mobile device to log hours and keep track of who is on site.
• Volunteer Check-In/Check-Out: Track volunteer hours and attendance with various sign-in options.
• Group Volunteer Management: Coordinate and manage volunteer groups effectively.
• Volunteer Recognition Tools: Show appreciation for volunteer contributions.

Summary

In closing we recommend you stick to solutions that make your life easier, improve your donor and member experience but don’t mess with the integrity of the stories you tell.

Always be sure to review companies' privacy policies and terms and conditions, we point to memoryKPR as a role model in their approach, always read the fine print and ensure you are the sole owner of your data, and the cultural digital assets you are the custodians of. 

Museums occupy a unique intersection between past and future. By thoughtfully leveraging innovative technology, you can breathe fresh life into timeless collections. Embrace the transformation while steadfastly guarding authenticity – that's where the true magic of museums lies.

Contact Us

The team at memoryKPR is passionate about helping museums and heritage sites leverage technology to tell compelling stories. Contact us today to discuss how we can support your mission.