Museums across the nation are searching for ways to engage and attract visitors, especially in a time when we can learn about anything and everything with our smartphones, tablets and the Internet.

A few museums are exploring ways to incorporate digital and mobile technologies to enhance visitor experience for museum visitors, as well as offering remote experiences for those who cannot get there.

The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. has an array of mobile apps and websites that allow museum visitors to interact as they go through an exhibit or to experience the exhibit remotely. The apps offer both an English and Spanish mobile tour, slideshows and videos.

Their LeafSnap app encourages users on the Eastern Seaboard to take photographs of leaves with their smartphones, identify trees from a vast database and then upload the photos.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City recently launched a free mobile walking tour app that gives takes users to 19 historic sites in lower Manhattan. Each stop will consist of annotated historic tour sites, a slideshow, and audio commentary.

As more museums look to engage visitors in new, more pervasive ways, implementing technologies to leverage smartphones and other mobile devices will surely become more prevalent and effective over time.

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