You might consider applying the same filtering standards you use for
collecting machines which empowered individuals to employ other
changing technologies, like cameras.

John Scafidi
Florida State Parks
Tallahassee
[log in to unmask]


--- "Nicholson, Claudia" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Among my many duties, I am curator of data
> processing here at the Minnesota
> Historical Society.  In truth, Minnesota was one of
> the hubs of early
> computer hardware design and building, and there are
> several companies that
> are closely identified with the state:  Control Data
> and Cray are just two
> of the best-known.
>
> I would appreciate anybody's thoughts on this:  For
> those of us who are not
> computer museums or museums of technology--how do we
> develop collecting
> plans for computers?  What value do computers have
> in the collection of
> regular history museums?  If these ancient
> behemouths don't work, how much
> value do they have for visitors?  How much do we
> need to explain the
> industry and its output?  And what, realistically,
> can we do with them once
> we've got them?
>
> I have decided that I only want to collect stuff
> that came out of Minnesota
> companies (that narrows the field a bit).  And it is
> not even within the
> realm of the possible to collect "examples" of the
> different types of
> computers that were used here.  I sort of feel that
> our job is to document
> the industry within the state.  But how?  And what?
> (I won't get into
> software now, but that is a whole other discussion.)
>
> I know that a lot of you must be grappling with
> this, and I am hoping that
> some of you have actually given it more thought than
> I have thus far.
>
> Help!
>
> Claudia Nicholson
> Curator
> Museum Collections Department
> Minnesota Historical Society
> 345 Kellogg Blvd. W.
> St. Paul, MN  55102-1906
>   e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>   Phone:  651-297-7442
>   FAX:  651-297-2967
>
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