User Interaction in the Online Curation of Digital Collections

As museums increasingly digitise their collections, the role of the curator must be reconsidered as new possibilities for user interaction and expanded forms of engagement unfold. This research critically reflects on a specially designed interactive platform and accompanying workshops to answer key research questions: What happens once a collection has been digitised? What is there left to be curated? What role does user interaction play in expanding the museum’s narratives beyond physical and virtual boundaries? By embedding user-driven practices, this project proposes a model of “networked co-curation” that shifts authority from centralised gatekeeping to decentralized collaboration, redefining museum roles in an era of expanded digital circulation. The analysis addresses the conceptual challenges digital objects pose to traditional museum taxonomies, questioning whether these objects function as "collections" or "archives." User Interaction in the Online Curation of Digital Collections investigates the evolving role of the curator as a host within digital environments, presenting a new framework for fostering user engagement with online art collections. This research examines how curatorial practices can transition from interpretation to facilitation, inviting users to actively participate in creating archival content. Centred on the digitised A David Bomberg Legacy – The Sarah Rose Collection, this study explores how digital objects, once separated from their material origins, circulate within networked ecologies to form new connections and meanings. Through rigorous reflection on platform design and workshops, the thesis reveals how “tracing” user interactions fosters new dialogues, contributing to knowledge production and collective creativity. This model highlights the museum's potential to operate as a participatory space for co-curation, where audiences contribute meaningfully to curatorial dialogues. The findings underscore the importance of cultural understanding in the digital realm, where curatorial practices must adapt to facilitate meaningful, collaborative engagement with digital collections in dynamic, ever-evolving networks.