For many, the idea of a museum is one of ancient exhibits, of a place that is stuck in the past.
But Brighton Museum – which celebrated its 150th anniversary on Saturday - is embracing the future by throwing itself headfirst into the digital age.
One man who has been instrumental in bringing the museum into the technological age is digital development officer Kevin Bacon.
Mr Bacon, who used to work front of house as well as looking after photographs for the museum and art gallery and the Royal Pavilion, has been working on increasing the museum's presence in social media.
He said: “We launched our Twitter and Facebook accounts in November last year and we had been using Flickr before that.
“We use it for a variety of functions, including establishing a different relationship with the audience so that if people are discussing things locally we can join in.”
When Brighton and Hove City Council ran a 24-hour Tweetathon, called the Big Alcohol Debate, about drinking habits in the city, Brighton Museum got involved by blogging about the history of alcohol and relating it to a Hogarth painting in its collection called Gin Lane.
Mr Bacon said: “Redefining the museum's relationship with the audience. I have always thought a museum is much more than a building with collections that it owns.
“It's a very interesting thing to be able to experiment using social media because we can see what works and what doesn't.
“Twitter has been more successful for us. We have just passed the 2,000 follower mark and we have a good level of engagement and feedback from people.
“We are getting lost of re-tweets which is nice for us.”
The Royal Pavilion and Museums in Brighton and Hove is one of the first museum services in the UK to develop a smartphone app.
Created by Brighton digital development company, Surface Impression, the free user-friendly app encourages both visitors and residents to get out and explore Brighton's best-loved buildings and collections in a fun and informative way.
The app enables visitors to make the most of their visit, using maps, history, facts and photos.
It helps visitors find their way to and around the five museums and also keeps them in touch with activities throughout the year.
The app is available for both Apple iPhones and Android handsets and provides visitor information for the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum, Hove Museum, Preston Manor and the Booth Museum.
The app also features the occasional special offer, with current users benefiting from £1 off the full paying adult admission rate to the Royal Pavilion. More than 200 people have downloaded it in just two weeks.
Have you signed up to the app? Tell us what you think of it below.
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