Learn More QR Highlights

By Louise Irvine

WMODA visitors will notice new QR code labels throughout the museum which will help access more information about the exhibits. Each gallery has a Quick Response matrix barcode which can be scanned by a mobile phone to learn more on the WMODA website. The QR system is also used in our handy new Museum Guide to provide more details about key objects on display. You can use your smart phone or mobile device to learn more during your visit or to open the relevant museum webpages later at home.

The QR code was invented in 1994 to track components in the Japanese automotive industry. The Quick Response system became more widely used than standard UPC barcodes because it is faster to read and has a greater storage capacity. WMODA already uses the QR system to track all the objects on display in the museum and in the reserve collection.

Our long-standing volunteer, George Hawthorn, began using QR codes in the WMODA galleries a few years ago but the system has become much more familiar to our audience since Covid-19. QR codes are used regularly today to retrieve information in retail stores and restaurants. The cameras in most modern mobile phones will now scan the QR label without the need for a special app.

The WMODA data manager is Lori Brown, who also manages our website and works tirelessly behind the scenes with our collections management team of staff and volunteers. She also designed our new Firing the Imagination Museum Guide which is available at WMODA reception.