Engaging with books you cannot touch: interactive multimedia to expose library treasures

Interactivity has proved a successful way to engage visitors of science museums. However, it is not a common practice when the objects to exhibit are artefacts or, as in the case of this paper, books. A study was set up to investigate the driving criteria for the 'The Life and Work of William Butler Yeats' exhibition at the National Library of Ireland and compare those with the visitors' opinions. Books, notebooks and personal belongings of the poet have been digitized and used to create a rich and varied exhibition that used both interactivity and multimedia. The result of a visitors' survey showed that the variety was a key factor for the success of the exhibition: different people engaged with different contents and different medium to different degrees. The design of the ambience is critical: dim lights and the use of audio as a medium have to be carefully planned to avoid annoying instead of engaging.