Accessibility of Digital Exhibits

I would never have suspected that digital exhibits could be within reach of small, low budget museums. Over the course of a school year, my digital history class at Western proved just that. We were able to produce five, high quality digital exhibits, without the need for a big budget. These exhibits were put together with the use of programming, arduino boards, smart boards, models, open access software and a lot of trial and error. The material used was not expensive and the technology was accessible. What I found most surprising is that you didn't need to be a computer programmer to create a digital exhibit. Anyone can do it, if they take the time to learn how. The most successful exhibits were the ones that were interactive, quick, and fun. I hope that I have the opportunity in my career to create another interactive digital exhibit.

Digital History and the Evolving Historian

The digital age knows no borders even in the world of academia. It has crossed disciplines bringing with it possibility and change to every field. Even the study of history is profoundly impacted by the digital age. Historians now have new tools, to collect, present, and interpret information.

Take for instance traditional versus modern research methods. The digital age has revolutionized the the field of library and information science and with it the our methods of collecting and accessing information. Accessibility to information has been completely transformed by the digital age. We now live in a world of Keyword searches, free online articles and books, even the contents of books are searchable. This means that a historian will now be able to access and sift through more information and may be able to create a more thorough examination.

The digital world has also provided a new way of presenting information. Online exhibits and web based reference tools offer online access to primary source documents.

Information can now even be interpreted in new ways, thanks to the digital age. Geomapping is the perfect example of how history is incorporating the use of technology in the writing of history. Geomapping is the process of mapping historical events in the hopes that links with show themselves, if they are revealed visually. Such connections will surely add more to the historic narrative. For example geomapping can be used to show the geographic spread of ideas or objects. This sort of information reveals trade routes although much more can be learned from studying these searchable maps and can reveal many more important historic clues.

Historians may be able to provide a better insight into history by making use of digital tools.

Weddings and Historic Sites

My fiancé and I are in the process of planning our wedding. We wanted a wedding that would reflect who we are as a couple and at a place that is memorable to us.

Then we decided on the Prince of Wales Hotel, located in historic downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake. This hotel was named in honour of the royal visit of future King George the V of England, in 1901. The Prince of Wales' rich history, and gilded Victorian architecture will provide the perfect atmosphere for a truly classic and elegant event. It seemed natural for us to choose a historic site for our wedding as we are both history students and the Niagara area also has fond memories for us.

In my research, I discovered that there are many historic sites that also serve as venues for weddings and special occasions. Here in London, Fanshawe Pioneer Village hosts many weddings each year. Ceremonies at the Pioneer Village, take place at the historic church on site and the receptions are held at the lodge. Museum London also caters to weddings.

I found reception halls to be somewhat cold and lacked that intrigue that a historic site can bring to an event. I'm looking forward to researching the history of the Prince of Wales Hotel and including it in the invitation package. Though we may include some historic elements in the wedding planning, it will still be modern. As the wedding coordinator of the Prince of Wales hotel explained, "Just because a wedding is taking place at a historic site, doesn't mean that it needs to be a themed wedding. It can still be classic and modern."

Historic Scenery

Landscapes tell their own history and can reveal evidence about the past through the interpretation of human interaction with the land. Landscapes can change drastically with time. I have witnessed immense change to the surroundings of a historic site just in my lifetime, due to urban development. The Dionne Quintuplet museum was moved from its original site in Callander Ontario and placed in the City of North Bay. Though not in its original location, visitors could still imagine this as a country home because of the green space and forest surrounding it. Then about 5 years ago a road was built behind the museum and a Home Depot, 5 storey hotel and parking lot completely destroyed the setting. Now visitors are not able to picture how the historic site would have looked amid all the urban development. The Dionne’s would have had a large property with a farm and their neighbours would have been far down the road. With a hotel parking lot encroaching almost on their front door it is difficult to picture the country lifestyle of this family.

New York City has the best examples of seemingly misplaced historic buildings. Trinity Church was once the tallest structure in New York and now this gothic church is completely dwarfed by modern skyscrapers. The juxtaposition is quite poetic. When I first saw this site it triggered my imagination as to how this area would have looked in 1846 when the church was first built.

I believe it is important to have context in order to better understand historic sites and positioning and landscape is an important part of this context. As public historians we must attempt to maintain historic scenery in some way if possible. If this is not possible some information should be provided to visitors about the change that has occurred to the landscape over time. Glassburg in his article "interpreting landscapes" outlines ways that historic sites can maintain their historic surroundings. Historic sites can simply purchase the land surrounding their site. One such example is George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. This task "required curtailing modern development not only on what had been Washington's property, but also on the lands across the Potomac River visible from the site". pg 30 If this kind of money is not in the budget there are other ways to accomplish this through the use of planning tools. One can designate the site a local historic district or place a conservation easement on the area. In rural areas it may be possible to zone the area for agricultural use thus eliminating commercial or residential use.

The park movement of the 1800's speaks to the desire to maintain these natural settings and even more interestingly, the desire to shape even these settings to fit human needs and ideals. Central park designed by Fredrick Olmstead for example, is a beautiful green space but it is not natural in any sense. The park is highly maintained and evidence of human intervention is everywhere with the presence of paths, fountains, cultivated plants, trees and flowers and of course the only animals aside from squires and birds are contains in the zoo. The National Parks though somewhat more natural can still be criticised for catering to human clients. Yellowstone National park for instance is filled with wildlife except for wolves. These sites are examples of the "constructed wilderness" concept, raised in Rebecca Conrad's article “Spading Common Ground".

Conrad argues that the main obsticle to landscape preservation is resource experts imposed differentiation between "natural" and "built". It is easy to recognize the significance of a historic building although it is more difficult to see the importance of historic scenery or historic spaces such as battle sites or simply the historic significance of uncultivated land. We are alienating ourselves from the past if we do not recognize the importance of the historic landscape.


Based on Readings:

-Conard, Rebecca. “Spading Common Ground.” Public History and the Environment. Ed. Martin V.
Melosi and Philip V. Scarpino. Florida: Krieger, 2004, 3-22.

-Glassberg, David. “Interpreting Landscapes.” Public History and the Environment. Ed. Martin V. Melosi
and Philip V. Scarpino. Florida: Krieger, 2004, 23-36.

You want a Public Historian

As a discipline, Public History is about making history accessible to the public. I think the best way to define public history is to know where the public historian can be found. They typically dwell in museums caring for artefacts, producing displays, performing administrative tasks, and liaising with the public. Although this is not the only place public historians can be found. There are many non traditional jobs for public historians and well jobs that I didn't even know existed. Did you know that public historians are great at freelance historic journalism? They are useful as heritage planners, documentary and film consultants, potentially historic novelists, educators, archivists, entrepreneurs or even in government. Public Historians are well known for their adaptability, creativity and productivity. So if you have a job involving history, you want a public historian.

The Bridge of Dreams

In 2005, I had the opportunity to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and I quickly realized that it was more than just a bridge. It was a tremendous architectural success and I began to wonder about its history and the impact that this bridge would have had on average New Yorkers. I decided to do some research and this is what I discovered.
The concept for the Brooklyn Bridge arose in the early nineteenth century when New Yorkers began dreaming of a bridge to connect them with America, no one imagined the spectacle it would become. With its mixture of neo-gothic towers, steal spans and cables, Brooklyn Bridge has stood between the shores of the East River for over a hundred and twenty five years.
The construction of the Bridge was indeed a triumph of design and skill. At a time when one in every five bridges collapsed, Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Its granite towers were the largest structures ever built on the North American continent. Its construction was sought with many challenges and came at high finial and human cost. In order to construct the base of the bridge workers were lowered in Caissons, which were large wooden chambers that acted much like a cup flipped upside down and placed in water. The caissons were pressurized and kept the water out so workers could dig on the bed rock of the East River and lay the foundations for the Bridge. Many fell ill and died from what came to be known as Caissons Disease caused by ascending too rapidly from a place of high pressure, today this is commonly known as the Bends. Workers would have suffered from violent cramps, dizziness, vomiting, migraines, extreme fatigue, loss of sight and the loss of feeling in both arms and legs. With the caissons and other dangers of the job the bridge would claim approximately twenty seven lives, including its creator John Roebling.
After fourteen years of waiting and costing an astounding $14 million dollars, New Yorkers celebrated its opening day on May 24, 1883. This event drew close to 150,000 people who waited through the speeches so they may pay the one cent toll to cross the bridge for the first time.
No one could have predicted the tremendous impact of the Brooklyn Bridge for New Yorkers at the turn of the twenty first century. Connecting the island of New York with the main land alleviated much of the overcrowding in the city, greatly enhancing the lives of average New Yorkers. Workers could now find affordable and spacious living conditions in Brooklyn while still retaining their jobs in the city.
The Brooklyn Bridge is still open to pedestrians today, so if you are ever in New York City take some time to cross this bridge and experience its rich history.

RFID chips and Spimes

Imagine a world where everything is on the internet, as suggested by Sean Dodson, in his article "The Internet of Things". The technology exists to place these RFID chips and Spimes, in everyday objects and even in people. But what kind of implications could this have?

Not only could these chips make history with their profound and far reaching impact to the world around them. Imagine the effects on the consumer culture. These chips could be used to increase consumer convenience, predictability and in the end consumer satisfaction. For business, this technology would provide ultimate and valuable market research and would translate into larger and larger profits. This technology could better our lives or offer us a world of even more reduced liberties. Will we as a member of society, give up a little more of our liberty, in exchange for the benefits offered to us by our ever more encroaching society?

There is still one more issue I would like to bring up as a historian. I’m interested to know what effect this technology would have on historiography.
Imagine a historian is in the process of writing a historical biography. In the modern world there are already ample records to sift through when attempting to thoroughly understand a subject; in recent history, there are governmental, personal, even corporate records to choose from. Now imagine a world with RFID chips. There would be endless amounts of data. Even if the individual does not have an RFID chip themselves, if every object around every person does, it would be possible to recreate the entire world a person lived in based on their interactions with objects in the world. These every day objects would have a complete provenance on record. One would know the location and history of the objects throughout their existence and could essentially use this information to track movements and actions of historical events and figures. With these objects also recording and transmitting this information it could be accessible and stored for possibly eternity in the archives of the internet. It would stand to reason that such useful and potentially profitable information would not just end with the destruction of the object, it’s more likely that this information would be stored for future research and reference purposes. Historians could access this information and have to ability to recreate the actions of every person during every event in modern history simply by accessing the logs of nearby objects. Such ability would offer historians a truly new tool to examine history. To assign a neologism, It would be possible to have almost total-micro history. With this type of technology, the only mystery left to the historian would be access to the actual mind of the subject. Who knows where technology will take us next.

Promise Land Project and Symposium

This summer I'll have the opportunity to join the Promise Land Project as a research assistant under the direction of Dr Nina Reid Maroney of Huron College. The project I'm part of is a five-year $997,784 Community University Research Alliance (CURA) grant from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for work on the significance of black history in the Promised Land communities. It is a collaborative venture involving both universities and the community.

As a wonderful orientation to the project, I was invited to attend the Promise Land Symposium which took place on March 13 to the 15th 2009, at St Clair College in Chatham Ontario. During this event I was able to meet the project team which includes both national and international researchers and supporters. I had the opportunity to meet and listen to lectures from Dr. Boulou Ebanda de B’béri from the University of Ottawa, Marie Carter of the Dresden Community, and Devin Andrews project coordinator among many other talented and dedicated team members.

This event was an opportunity for those involved in the project and the public to share their research and thoughts on the anti slavery movement of South-western Ontario in the Nineteenth Century as well as contemporary issues of cultural identity.

For my contribution over the summer, I will be completing the database of African American Canadian land settlement in South Western Ontario, work which began last year. Once this is complete I will transfer this data to a geo mapping program. The idea behind this project, is that links and connections will show themselves if they are presented visually and spatially though mapping.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the abolitionist movement in South-western Ontario I have put a display together at Huron College. It is located in the basement of the Administration wing across from the Huron Diocese Archives. And will be there to view until next month.

The Meaning Behind Accession Numbers

I've decided to create my own Snow Globe Museum in order to demonstrait the use of accesssion numbers for museum artefacts. I hope you enjoy the tour.

The accession numbers I’ve given to these snow globes provide information in themselves about the artifacts. The first number is the year the object was accessioned into the museum. For instance these snow globes were acquired in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The second number refers the order they were accessioned that year. For instance, if the accession number indicates 01 as the second number, this means the item was the first artifact acquired that year. If the accession number is 02 this means it was the second artifact acquired that year and so on. The last number refers to the number of items in that acquisition. If there were multiple items acquired at the same time and part of the same collection or provenance then further numbers would be indicated to represent the different items in that acquisition. Some times artifacts also have parts. For instance a tea pot has two components a pot and a lid. These items would be further identified by issuing the letter A for the lid and B for the pot. These letters would be placed at the end of the accession number. For instance, if this item were in two parts their succession numbers would be 2009.02.1.a and 2009.02.1.b. Although there are various ways to number artifacts this is the most commonly used method.

Melissa's Snow Globe Museum


Artifact Number 2007.01.1
Name: Snow Globe of Chateau Frontenac
Measurements: 10 cm height 7 cm width
Condition: New
History of Artifact: This item was acquired as a souvenir from Quebec City on November 20 2007.


Artifact Number 2008.01.1
Name: Snow Globe of Angel
Measurements: 10 cm height 8 cm width
Condition: New
History of Artifact: This item was a gift


Artifact Number 2009.01.1
Name: Snow Globe of Labrador Puppy
Measurements: 10cm height 7 cm width
Condition: Damaged
History of Artifact: Christmas Gift


Artifact Number 2009.02.1
Name: Snow Globe of Ducks in Nature
Measurements: 14 cm height by 10 cm width
Condition: New
History of Artifact: This item was bought on sale at Wal-Mart in January 2009

Crowdsourcing

I recently read an artical for class entitled "Collective Intelligence vs the Wisdom of Crowds" by Henry Jenkins about crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing suggests that a group will always be smarter than the individual, as all individuals will bring different experiences and wisdom that as a collective will always make them smarter than the individual. It was proposed by Henry Jenkins that perhaps video games can be designed to make use of the collective wisdom of groups and used as a way to solve real world problems. The article proposed that the game Sim City could be used for city planning and policy writing and could potentially offer solutions based on the ideas of average game players that would be better than those proposed by professional city planners and policy writers. Though it can be argued that a game cannot ever truly represent the world and, therefore, how would we know that policies that would work in the game would work in real life? Despite this a game that could gather this information would in the least offer market research that could be useful in the design of real world solutions.

Museum Buildings: Historic or Modern?

Is it best for a museum to be located in a modern or a historic building?

Modern buildings specifically built with the purpose of serving as a museum are best equiped to house artifacts. There is not the concerns of humidity, bad wireing, ventelation and other problems that often accompany an older building. Modern buildings are also designed to showcase artifacts so they are often easier to work with when laying out exhibits. I believe the Guggenheim and the Moma are great examples of well designed museums. The Guggenheim offers visitor a wonderful flow to the exhibits with it's archetecture. Visitors are prompted by the layout of the building to follow the art work in a spiral from the bottom all the way to the top. This allows visitors to see the art work in a specific order and there is no interuption in the experience as there is no need to leave one room to enter another. The Moma was wonderful just for its simplicity and space. The artwork is not crowded and there is plenty of room to take a step back and admire the artwork. For a Canadian example Canada's National War Museum recently built in Ottawa is a wonderful example of a museum building designed specifically to accomodate the needs of the museum and it's collection. It's large glass wing with high ceilings is perfect for displaying the large tanks and war equipment that would not be possible to be displayed in a regular building. Purpose built museums are wonderful for the safety of the artifacts and for the freedom that it offers the museum to be able to display the objects required to tell the story of the curators.





With this in mind there is also intrinsic value in visiting a museum that is itself an artifact from the past. An older building also places the artifacts in context especially if the building is tied into the history of the collection. Many small museums are housed in historic buildings. For instance the Dionne Quintuplet Museum in North Bay Ontario is housed in the origional farmhouse where the Dionne Quintuplets were born. The old farmhouse is set up to look the way it did when the Dionnes Lived there in the 1930's with origional furniture and items belonging to the family. The building is just as important to the story as the artifacts housed inside. As a visitor to the museum you are able to imagine the story of the Dionne Quints in a more realistic light as walking in their origional home gives insite into their lives. The Elden House, a local museum in London Ontario, is another example where an origional building was turned into a museum to tell the story of the origional owners of the home. Visitors to the Elden House are able to step into the past as the home is set up to look the way it did in 1850 when the origional owners occupied the home.

Both the purpose built and historic homes turned museum both have their own unique values. If only it were possible to build a modern museum large enough to house the historic buildings, preserving them, and allowing them to tell their story along with the other artifacts.

Events and Museums a Perfect Match

Events can be used in a variety of ways that are beneficial to museums large or small. Museums face many common challenges such as funding, volunteer recruitment, ways to increase visitor attendance and of course our continuing mandate of finding ways to reach and educate the public. Events are one of the tools that public historians can utilize to help us face these challenges.

Events can be used for fundraising, volunteer recruitment/appreciation, as ways to draw visitors, attract media attention and overall spark interest in your museum.

I would like to draw from personal experience the roles that events played in the management of two small museums in Ontario. The first is a General Store Museum located in Commanda Ontario. Commanda is a very small town just outside of North Bay. This museum has survived due to the ingenuity of its curator Roberta Quinn who was able to make the most use of events and turned her General Store Museum into a gathering place for the community and as an attraction to visitors of cottage country. Despite the population and isolation of this community the Commanda General Store Museum was filled every Thursday night during the summer months. Thursday nights at the Museum were Murder Mystery Dinners preformed by the summer students working at the museum mixed with local talent. On weekends during the summer various special events were held including a Strawberry Jam Festival which featured bands from the area and strawberry themed desserts. This event would take place on the lawn of the museum. There was also a historic quilt show, and many fundraising yard sales that would involve people from the community. Events were used to maximize the potential of the museum and were a great way to attract tourists, draw funds to the museum, attract media attention and as a way to enlist the support of the community.

The next museum I would like to discuss is the Niagara on the Lake Historical Society and Museum. The curator of this museum Clark Bernett also understood the importance of events. This museum holds events year long. Past events are a festival of wreaths fundraiser, historic lecture series, wine and cheese nights, they take part in doors open and as a stop on walking tours of Niagara on the Lake among others.

Museums which hold regular events seem to come alive and gather a great following in the community as a place that is not only a museum but as a social venue and one that makes everyone feel welcome and invested in its successes and development.

If you would like to plan an event for your local museum here are some things to consider:

• What is the purpose of the event? What would you like to accomplish?
• What sort of event would you like to hold?
• If there is to be wine served make sure you secure a special occasions’ permit. An application form can be picked up at any LCBO
• Draw up a budget that includes all expenses and use this to determine ticket cost and the minimum number of tickets that need to be sold in order to cover all expenses
• Determine what is called a “drop dead date”, this is the date that is set by the event planner, it refers to the date by which a certain number of tickets need to be sold in order to proceed with the event. If not enough tickets are sold by this time it many be necessary to cancel the event.
• Make sure to create a timeline for the event which outlines what is to take place and when so the event can run smoothly and everyone involved with the execution of the event is aware of what is to take place.
• Because you are holding the event in a museum don’t forget about the artifacts. If food or beverages are to be served make sure that any artifacts that are not under glass are removed for the event. Objects may also need to be moved to create space for guests.
• An event is a great way to attract media attention. About a month before an event is about to take place make sure to draw up a brief public service announcement and send it off to local media. Because museums are often non profits it is possible to get free advertising in the what’s happening section of newspapers. It may also be possible to invite media to attend an event and arrange to be interviewed. This is a great way to draw attention to your museum without paying any money for advertising.
• The amount of coordination needed to be done especially for larger events can get overwhelming so make sure you start planning for your event a few months in advance especially if it is a new event.
• Consider partnerships with other museums, hotels, bed and breakfasts and tourism sites in the area. Sometimes an event package that includes tickets to your event and an overnight stay for example can help you sell tickets through cross advertising and promotion.
• If events are to become a regular occurrence at your museum you may wish to invest in linins, dishes, a microform and stand and any other object that you would need to use often instead of renting
• Business cards printed out on the computer make great, affordable and professional looking event tickets
• Send mass emails to board members and museum members to let them know about the event it is a great way to get free advertising of your target market
• Use your imagination to create unique events and clever titles such as death by chocolate murder mystery dinner or historic fusion progressive dinner
• Once the event is finished reflect on what went well what could have gone better so the event can be improved in the future. Pay attention to any comments made by guests so you can get insight into what they liked and didn’t like and watch for smiles and if people seem to generally be having a good time or if they keep looking at their watch.
• Assign someone to greet everyone at the door when they arrive and thank everyone for coming when they leave
• At the end of the event this is a great time to inform everyone about upcoming events, upcoming exhibits and future projects at the museum as you now have access to your target market all in one room so make sure to make use of this opportunity.