Selma Thomas

Ms. Thomas is one of the nation’s leading experts in interpretive digital media and its relationship to collections, visitors, and exhibitions.  She recently served as the Senior Advisor for Museum Training and Interpretation for the Qatar Museums Authority in Doha. She has also written and produced media productions for the National Museum of American History, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Chicago History Museum, the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Exploratorium, the Library of Congress, and the Tech Museum of Innovation. She has authored or edited over 30 publications on the use of digital media in museums, on public memory and oral histories, and museums in the 21st century. She holds a BA in history from Barnard College and an MA in history from the University of Delaware.  She was a 2008 Smithsonian Fellow in Museum Practice, which she used to examine “the impact of Web 2.0 on museum exhibitions.”  Her course involves critical analyses of interpretive media in museums, as well as the design of digital media in multiple formats (exhibit media, cell phone and audio tours, websites, and social networking).