Museum people will need to understand experiential learning and the techniques of information management and multimedia creation. They will also need to draw on inputs from a wide range of disciplines, in the arts, sciences and humanities. The first is to train their own staff in the skills of using digital technologies and museum resources to enable public learning and participation, and to assist users. The second is training for the museums' public, to enable both adults and children to make creative use of cultural resources in their communities. Training for volunteers must also not be overlooked.
Volunteers play a productive role in museum services.
Many small museums are crucially dependent on them. Making a start on training Chipping Norton Museum is entirely volunteer-run. With training and equipment, the archivist, who has mobility problems, would be able to digitise the collection, conduct research, develop Internet resources and answer enquiries without leaving home. In the National Portrait Gallery, front of house staff have received training so that they can use the Gallery's collections database to answer enquires from the public.