Samtida digitala insamlingspraktiker

Contemporary collecting in Swedish museums has seen an increasing diversity of methods. Alongside traditional ethnographic methods, some museums also collect through digital channels, such as web enquiries. This text is a contribution to the discussion of some of the benefits claimed by museums that have chosen to digitalise collecting practices. Using web portals for collecting provides opportunities to acquire large quantities of information. This is regarded as a strength by museums, but at the same time it is rarely stated why large quantities of data is needed and how to analyse it. Technology, democratic ambitions, and a modernity in crisis are interwoven in digital contemporary collecting. This text argues that museums need to rethink the purpose of contemporary collecting, and thereafter consider appropriate methods.