ABSTRACT
This chapter frames authority and openness through parallel metaphors within the museum and technology fields, and offers the Reggio Emilia educational approach as inspiration for collaborative knowledge-sharing between museums and communities. Reggio Emilia is an approach to early childhood education that is dependent on learning being led by the interest of the child, rather than the design of the teacher, in order to produce relevant, authentic learning experiences in the form of ongoing, collaborative projects. In the digital age, the concept of the physical forum has shifted to that of a virtual platform for sharing knowledge and fostering conversations. In fact, forms of open authority such as crowdsourced projects, oral history initiatives, or community curation are each made possible through the facilitation of a platform by museum experts. Museums are beginning to recognise the need to re-envision their place as authorities within this quickly shifting digital landscape, if only to remain relevant and connected to society.
