ABSTRACT
In contrast to the “input” process of collecting, this chapter looks at the museum’s “output,” by examining the challenges in displaying very recent examples of computer-based technology on exhibition while the full ramifications of their impact on society are still developing or remain to be fully revealed. This chapter examines three Smithsonian exhibitions that have addressed these challenges: the National Museum of American History’s DigiLab, which examined both the process of digitization at the Smithsonian and the impact of computer-based technology on traditional printing methods; the American History Museum’s American Stories, which presents American social history through iconic objects in the museum’s holdings; and the National Air and Space Museum’s Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting from Here to There, a joint collaboration between the American History Museum and the Air and Space Museum; as well as excerpts from interviews with the following museum professionals: David Allison (NMAH); Paul Ceruzzi (NASM); Stevan Fisher (NMAH); Bonnie Campbell Lilienfeld (NMAH); Carlene Stephens (NMAH); Hal Wallace (NMAH); and Helena Wright (NMAH).
