CHArt CHArt Computers and the History of Art - 1998 Conference Paper Abstract
The National Gallery of Australia is utilising digital technology to better serve its visitors and to make its holdings of visual culture more accessible to all Australians and to virtual visitors world wide. Touch screen info sofas and an online link to our collection database have been established to meet these objectives.
Several features of the info sofas make them unique in a gallery context and represent a seminal example for museums world wide. These include the use of highly stylised slim line screens, ultra fast computers and elegantly designed furniture; innovative screen design and the incorporation of high quality images and video tours; the speed with which the system was developed (three months from conception to implementation); the amount of information which was gathered for inclusion in this time frame; the establishment of a project team which brought staff from across the Gallery together, including educators, curators, designers, librarians, information technology officers and registration staff; and the integration of the info sofas into gallery spaces.
In a nation where the spread of the population over a vast continent presents barriers to access, the National Gallery has used the Internet to reach out and offer services to all Australians. The collection database, which is linked to the Gallery's Internet site, includes over 100,000 text entries with information about works of art and artists, and a growing number of images. People who are unable to visit the National Gallery now have the opportunity to view works of art from the collection online.
New technology has afforded the National Gallery an opportunity to interpret and present its collection to a wider audience and to remain relevant and accessible to this audience.