Colin Beardon
It is argued that institutions have been conservative in the uses to which they have put computer technology. Two projects which involve the development of new applications software are presented. The Virtual Curator and the Visual Assistant share certain design objectives, mainly the desire to give users tools with which they can construct new meanings using digital resources held in archives. Feedback from potential users indicate that, while some objectives have been met, users can have problems using archive material for some practical purposes. An open systems model is proposed as an alternative to the institutional model for software applications.
KEY WORDS Visual assistant, design history, theatre, software.