IBM and the Smithsonian Institution announced the virtual opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Smithsonian’s 19th and newest museum. This online presence marks the first time a major museum has opened its doors on the web prior to the construction of its building.
While the physical museum will be built on the National Mall in Washington in 2015, it is opening online now to serve as a place of collaboration among scholars and the general public.
A key web site feature is The Memory Book which allows site visitors to upload their memories in the form of a story, an image or an audio recording. An online map, which can be navigated, shows how these diverse memories are linked to each other and to content created by the museum to spotlight people, places, issues and moments in African American history.
These memories will become part of the museum’s first oral history collection and give site visitors an opportunity to participate in the museum’s development.
Because the site allows visitors to contribute content, it becomes a vibrant community of users who can help both define the African American experience, as well as promote an understanding of what it means to be an American.
Originally posted on October 1, 2007 @ 7:31 pm