The fact of the matter is that the rate at which technology is changing is
precisely the thing you should be considering as you decide what to collect.

I was curator responsible for technology collections at two museums, and in
the end, I settled on the idea that I would document the technology that was
important to MY geographic area.  If there were hardware businesses in my
state, then we would look at collecting significant pieces.  I know that
there are museums that are making it their business to deal with technology.
They are better equipped to do it than most run-of-the-mill museums.

I also question the value of static technology pieces.  I'm not sure that,
with the possible exception of the gigantic room-size and supercomputers of
the past, a single pc sitting silently in a museum exhibit says much.  And
I'm not sure the extent to which we can fire up all of these babies in a
gallery space.

Go back to your mission, and then collect accordingly.

Good luck!

Claudia Nicholson
former Curator-of-Everything-Else


----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin MacLean" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2003 5:33 PM
Subject: Question re. computers & contemporary collecting


> Our institution is soliciting advice in order to decide what course of
> action it should take with regard to accessioning future technology
> collections.
>
> Past (pre- '97) curatorial thinking was that the our facility should limit
> technology collecting due to the rate at which it evolves and its
potential
> to dominate shrinking storage space. Existing thought, however, is that
> technology, predominately computers, have an important place in our
cultural
> collections.  In addition, technologies are valued only as long as they
> cutting edge, which was yesterday, with the result that objects (eg. game
> systems) are quickly disposed of in favour of the faster, more impressive
> ones.  The question is where do we draw the line?
>
> What is the viewpoint of your facility re. contemporary collecting?  Do
you
> have a cut-off date re. contemporary collecting and how would you approach
> the processing of a large computer collection?  Do you have a policy
solely
> related to collecting the technologies which have dominated the last 25
> years.
>
> Good luck answering.  Kevin
>
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