Episode 60
“The technologies change, but the problems we’re trying to solve don’t. We’re still trying to bring our collections information to our visitors and users of all types. We’re still trying to offer experiences to engage different audiences.
The tools we use to do that may change, but our goals haven’t changed at all. And yet, it seems with every new technology, we’re having to relearn the same lessons of the past.”
Katherine Jones and Paul Marty co-wrote a book titled The Invisible History of Museum Computing: The Behind-the-Scenes Magic of Museum Technology Professionals which was published by the American Alliance of Museums in early 2025.
The book presents a collection of oral histories gathered from more than fifty current and former museum technology professionals working in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia, in order to shine a light on the invisible, behind-the-scenes work of museum computing. The book provides a critical analysis of key trends in museum computing that collectively drove the museum technology profession forward from the 1960s to the present day, and offers an annotated history of museum computing.
Katherine Jones is program director for the Museum Studies program at the Harvard Extension School. She has taught in the Museum Studies program at the Extension School since 1997, and has served as the Research Advisor since 2004. Paul Marty is Professor in the School of Information in the College of Communication and Information, and Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation at Florida State University.
Join us for this informed, insightful conversation about the history — and the future — of museum technology!