CAMBRIDGE, MASS.- The Harvard Art Museums announce the launch of the digital magazine Index, which provides a dynamic and interactive space for readers to discover a broad range of content and media produced by staff at the Harvard Art Museums and from arts-related venues around the world. Found at www.harvardartmuseums.org/index, the digital magazine supplements the printed edition of the magazine with new content posted each weekday. Index includes multimedia components that put viewers behind the scenes at the museums and also provides regular updates during the final stages of the museums’ renovation and expansion project in Cambridge.

Index presents a platform for discussions about visual culture and an exchange of ideas, which is at the heart of the Harvard Art Museums’ teaching and research mission. Readers are encouraged to join in the conversation through the integrated commenting tool and through social media. Readers can stay connected to the digital edition of Index through social media: like the museums’ page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/harvardartmuseums, or follow the museums on Twitter at www.twitter.com/harvartmuseums to get regular updates on recently posted articles. New articles about various aspects of the collections, activity, and history of the museums from staff, students, and others are added nearly every day to the magazine, including links to stories published by other institutions and media outlets. Articles are arranged in chronological order, from top to bottom, allowing readers to easily access new content. Tags are used, as opposed to a traditional top-level hierarchy, to create a more organic navigation. Index is also optimized with responsive web design for viewing on mobile devices.

Print editions of Index are available three times a year (spring, summer, and fall) and can be found at various locations around the Harvard University campus, including the lobby of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at 485 Broadway and the Harvard Information Center in the Holyoke Center Arcade at 1350 Massachusetts Avenue. Articles in print editions of Index serve as a lure and encourage readers to access additional, richer content in the digital magazine. Each print issue features additional content that can be accessed through the use of Layar, an augmented reality technology for mobile devices. Layar connects readers directly with online extras in just one touch via their mobile device, eliminating the need to use a search engine.

Index was designed by Creative Director Steven Waldron and Senior Graphic Designer Zak Jensen at the Harvard Art Museums and developed by Your Majesty, a creative digital agency based in New York, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Jenny Magee Stenger is the Staff Writer. Contributing writers include Jennifer Aubin, Public Relations Manager; Antoinette Hocbo, Marketing Coordinator; and Cheryl Pappas, Copy Editor, along with other staff at the museums. Former museum Fellows and interns, as well as Harvard students, also contribute articles.