Exhibiting Information: Developing the Information Age Gallery at the Science Museum.

There is very little published literature on the display of computing technology in museums and galleries. This article reviews a variety of displays, from the early 1970s to the 1990s, to show how computing and communication technologies shifted from a taxonomic approach that inferred an element of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Information & Culture Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 1 - 29
Main Author: Blyth, Tilly
Format: Article
Published: University of Texas Press 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        au: Blyth, Tilly
        affil: Keeper of technologies and engineering at the Science Museum in London
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        Computer industry
        Information technology
        Technological innovations
        Science Museum (Great Britain)
        Computer software
        Sociology
        Historiography
        Exhibitions
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          Computer industry
          Information technology
          Technological innovations
          Science Museum (Great Britain)
          Computer software
          Sociology
          Historiography
          Exhibitions
      ab: There is very little published literature on the display of computing technology in museums and galleries. This article reviews a variety of displays, from the early 1970s to the 1990s, to show how computing and communication technologies shifted from a taxonomic approach that inferred an element of progression to displays that take a more socially and culturally embedded approach. The article argues that by changing their focus away from computing per se to considering the history of sociocultural information networks, museum professionals can create more engaging experiences for visitors while reflecting the current concerns of the sociology of technology and historiography. Using insights drawn from the development of the Information Age gallery at the Science Museum in London, the article argues that while the shift toward information and communication networks is not without conceptual challenges, it brings to the fore the importance of infrastructure, the role of users in the coconstruction of networks, and the challenge of software in display.
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    language: English
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