ArchiveLottery is an interactive public engagement activity which uses social media and digital technology to create an unpredictable and unique moment of discovery. Participants choose a number, equating to a shelf location within our store. Staff then pick an object at random from that shelf and engage the player with it. Versions have included the use of Twitter, Skype and live broadcasts over Periscope and it has become a feature of any group tour to the Archive.
Museum Visitors playing #ArchiveLottery
To some extent the activity replicates the feeling of archaeological discovery at the time of excavation. It offers a personal direct engagement with staff and a unique item from the collection for each individual that plays. Of the numerous people that have experienced #ArchiveLottery, without exception, each has provided positive feedback. The original scheme began as an interactive Twitter experiment, which rapidly revealed its potential to expand as an engagement project. Continuous experimentation built up to the launch of a series of #ArchiveLottery events for #ExploreArchives week, where we aspired to attract a worldwide audience and inspire other institutions. By having its own hashtag it also generates its own method of self-dissemination, with the ability to quickly search for previous results on Twitter.
MOL director Sharon Ament MOL Governor Evan Davis playing #ArchiveLottery
#Archivelottery is a simple and effective way to open up museum collections and received the Innovation Award at the Museum Heritage Show 2018.