Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 08 03 JT

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Page 36 of 150 o More contemporary photos of the Museum campus and buildings o Increased information about the Museum for visitors o Additional links to other relevant websites o Eventually, an online mining map with links to photos and information o The expanded use of PastPerfect and PastPerfect Online, including the eventual use of Google Indexing so that people using Google searches will find photos and information on the Museum's PastPerfect Online website • Oral History Program The Museum's Oral History Program produces raw material, all owned by the City, that can eventually be shared with the public. The next steps for increasing accessibility are dependent on the availability of City funding. The priorities include: o Backing up the oral history interviews on the City server. o Cataloging the oral history interviews in PastPerfect. o Cataloging oral history interviews that were done in the 1960s -1990s, backing them up to the City server, and making them available to the families of the narrators. (These have been transferred from audiotapes to CDs, and a volunteer has already backed up some of them to the City server.) o Editing the raw oral history footage and making it available online or in short films that can be broadcast on channel 8 or on YouTube. The City's attorney and guidelines used by other oral history programs will be consulted for guidance on what editing will be required. o Transcribing the oral history interviews so that they can be used more readily for research and for quoting in articles. • Exhibits In terms of future exhibits, Metcalfe's plan will result in about a 45% increase in exhibit space at the Museum, due to the new building and the ability to use space for exhibits in the Jordinelli House (replacing areas currently used for collections storage) and in the Jacoe Store (replacing the current office space) . Although participants in Metcalfe's public meetings expressed more of a desire for increased museum programming space over an increase in museum exhibit space, it is clear that people expect to be able to view engaging, thought-provoking exhibits when they visit a museum. Also, the Museum unquestionably has a need for increased exhibit space, given the limited space that can be dedicated to exhibits in the existing buildings. Some of the Museum's priorities with respect to exhibits are 1) to have more of the collections on exhibit, resulting in increased public access to the collections, and 2) to increase accessibility in terms of physical access to the exhibits themselves and in terms of improved exhibit labels.5 (All of this should be accomplished with the goal of increased ADA access in mind.) The following list gives examples of ideas for rotating exhibits in the enlarged exhibit space in the Jordinelli House or in the new space in the Community House. With the increased public gathering space that is envisioned, each exhibit could have an opening reception to which Foundation members and the public are invited, and the exhibit areas could be rented out to groups looking for event venues. 5 The Museum staff uses the excellent book Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach by Beverly Serrell as its guide for exhibit labels and signage. 28