Hidden treasures: managing digital assets at the Exploratorium

摘要

In the Arabian Nights, as we imagine Aladdin descending into the magician's cave, we see him surrounded by piles of gold, silver, and jewels. But when I use my imagination to enter the virtual vaults of San Francisco's Exploratorium, I see treasure of a different sort: exhibition posters, construction plans, field trip guides, concert audiotapes, and photographs. These are our precious jewels, documenting every stage of our more than 30-year history. If you go to the Exploratorium's Web site (http://www.exploratorium.edu), you will discover the basic facts about its history and mission: Housed within the walls of the Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium is a collage of 650 interactive exhibits on science, art, and human perception. This unique museum was founded in 1969 by noted physicist and educator Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, who devoted his efforts to it--and was its director--until his death in 1985. Over 600,000 people visit annually. What these facts don't adequately express is that the Exploratorium is a living laboratory, a place of experimentation with new ways of communicating. When it first opened to the public it was mostly empty space. The founding staff believed that it would attract those who shared the excitement of the search, both as exhibit developers and as visitors. They were right. The museum's founders believed that art is as necessary as science in order to fully perceive the world, and they expressed that belief early in strong graphics, photography, and video departments, as well as in artist-in-residence and publicperformance programs. The written word was not ignored; publishing for children, adults, families, and educators is an important component of our educational mission. More than 16 years ago I began to create a teacher- and staff-support library from almost nothing: a box of books in a dimly lit trailer. That modest start has grown into a 10,000-item multimedia collection.