Press Release                                                           April 20, 1998

Knowledge Creation - Knowledge Preservation  -  Knowledge Sharing
The Museum Computer Network Annual Conference
September 23-26, 1998
Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Santa Monica, California, USA

Contact: Leslie Johnston, MCN '98 Program Chair
(650) 725-5383
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As modern cultures move rapidly towards the integration of digital media
into everyday life, information and communication technologies have
become important tools for creating, sharing, and preserving cultural
knowledge in the presentation and representation of museum collections.
Today this includes exhibitions of the physical and the virtual object
as accessed by remote visitors from classrooms and living rooms all over
the world. The Museum Computer Network Conference is the only annual
international event dedicated to learning opportunities and information
exchanges on all aspects of technology use in museums. Information is
the greatest resource of museums, and managing knowledge is one of our
key challenges. MCN '98 explores the current issues of creating,
sharing, and preserving cultural knowledge.

This year's keynote speaker is Richard Lucier, Executive Director of the
new California Digital Library, which will integrate the holdings of the
nine University of California campuses and provide international access
to the collections via the Internet. Founder of the Center for Knowledge
Management and originator of the Knowledge Management Model, Mr. Lucier
has written and lectured widely on the changing scholarly communication
process, scientific databases, electronic publishing, and digital
libraries. It is especially exciting to have Mr. Lucier speak given the
leadership role that the University of California is playing in the
creation of the Museums and Online Archive of California.

The four-day conference program will include practical pre-conference
workshops with expert instructors and presentations from international
speakers, drawn from within as well as outside the community of museum
technology professionals. There will be informal networking
opportunities and a vendor exhibit hall showcasing technology products
and projects. One highlight of the conference will be a reception at the
new Getty Center on the evening of Wednesday, October 23. This will be
an opportunity to explore Los Angeles' newest cultural attraction, home
of the organizations of the J. Paul Getty Trust, featuring stunning
architecture and panoramic views.

The conference will be held at the ocean-fronting four-star Loews Santa
Monica Beach Hotel, conveniently located near Los Angeles' and Santa
Monica's developing entertainment technology centers.

Anyone concerned with information technology and museums will find MCN
'98 a key professional event, where technology, legal issues, design
concerns, research and commercial implications will all be discussed
from the perspective of museums and their diverse audiences.

Established in 1972, the Museum Computer Network is a not-for-profit
organization of professionals dedicated to fostering the cultural aims
of museums through the use of computer technologies.

For more information on attending the conference as a delegate, vendor
or member of the press, contact Michele Devine, Museum Computer Network,
8720 Georgia Avenue, Suite 501, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301) 585-4413,
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