From 11 March 2011, those interested in the history of Latvia have access to the eMuseum – the most diverse and complete digital repository in terms of content and form, which uses the National History Museum’s of Latvia rich range of materials.
The eMuseum website offers virtual exhibitions created by the museum, thematic galleries, interactive resources prepared for exhibitions, museum publications, video and audio recordings, educational materials for schools, families (guides, colouring pages) and other materials, many of which can be browsed, downloaded or shared on social networks.
Resources can be searched and selected in many ways: by historical periods in the timeline, by topics, using keywords or tags. The website is designed specifically for the museum’s traditional partners – schools, so to facilitate the work of teachers and students, resources are also grouped by class groups, subjects and topics provided in the standard of their acquisition.
The aim of creating an eMuseum is to expand the accessibility of cultural heritage, meaning not only the digitization of museum objects, but also their interpretation, explanation, offered by museum’s specialists. The eMuseum acts as a reliable intermediary between the museum’s collection, its keepers and researchers, and a wide range of museum visitors or followers of its social networks.
The Story of Latvian families, a public engagement platform established in 2017, has also found a permanent place in the eMuseum. It was created within the framework of a joint exhibition of 68 museums “Latvia’s Century” (2018-2011), inviting everyone to add their own family photo and story about it. More than 1,100 images have been added to the album so far.
The site is constantly being supplemented and improved. Its content in English (description of each resource) is available from April 2021.