Edmonds Self-Guided Walking Tour

Abstract

Constrained by limited resources and funding, small museums often struggle to connect with their communities. COVID-19 worsened this problem when many institutions were forced to shut their doors and rely on alternative means to serve their audience. There is increased pressure on museums to provide online content. Small historical museums can utilize available resources to create these digital platforms. The purpose of this project was to connect local community members and visitors with Edmonds history in an engaging way by utilizing the museum's collections, oral histories, and documents to create a digital self-guided walking tour. This project provides an affordable means for visitors to access historical material outside of the walls of the museum by leveraging current collections. Drawing on research on different types of museum tours, the project sought to use available material in order to engage visitors by combining audio guides with outdoor walking tours. Utilizing physical locations is known to increase emotional engagement and connection to historical material. The final product is a series of webpages hosted on the Edmonds Historical Museum's website at https://historicedmonds.org/historic-edmonds-audio-tours/ that can be accessed on both desktops and mobile devices. Walking audio tours such as this are useful both to the Edmonds Historical Museum and other small museums. The tours are simple in structure, easy to replicate, and expand the museum's reach into the broader community. The unique incorporation of first-hand accounts and historical locations offers people an experience where the past feels tangible and relatable.