MCN's files are indeed in the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Alan Bain was the archivist who handled the collection.
I kept meaning to submit what I had from my time on the board but never did. The paperwork was a bit daunting. In 2000 they were interested in having emails archived. I wonder when anyone last submitted any materials? The findings aids online go up to 1989. http://siarchives.si.edu/findingaids/FARU7432.htm http://siarchives.si.edu/findingaids/FA90-139.htm I've got hard copy Spectra from Fall 1988 to Spring 2002, missing a few here and there. As to early web sites, I have copies of early versions of the MCN site's listing of museum web sites. I think the earliest version I have is from September 1995. I don't think I have the original page from May 1995 when we created that first MCN web site while at a booth on the exhibit floor at AAM. Re: gaming, that could be the Exploratorium in San Francisco, depending on how you define public computers and games. In the early 1970s they had mainframe terminals in a hand's-on children's center where I remember playing "Hammurabi," a simple interactive city management text game: http://www.stibbe.net/History/Games_Speech/Hammurabi.htm. It made a huge impression on me, as i still remember this experience more than 30 years later. Leslie Johnston At 03:27 PM 12/18/2006, Suzanne Quigley wrote: >Hi Richard, > >I think I have a fairly complete file of all the Spectra issues in >paper going back to the beginning. If you know what issue(s) might >have your info - let me know, I will scan and send... But I don't >have the time to dig through them for references until February, I >believe we had an archivist at one point in time - Does anyone >remember who? Someone at the SI? There should be another complete >set there. > >The first Museum to have a website? Good question. I remember the >first collections to have images tied to their databases - back in >the early 80's - the Eastman House Museum in Rochester New York and >the Helen Allen Textile Collection at UW-Madison (WI). We were all >envious at the first public kiosks - National Gallery London and >Seattle Art Museum spring to mind - although it was a hot time for >that and there were likely others. > >Suzanne Quigley >art & artifact services >917 676 9039 >squigle at panix.com >www.suzannequigley.com > > >On Dec 18, 2006, at 3:13 PM, <rjurban at uiuc.edu> wrote: > > > This message is a request to all those wise souls who have been > > around for a while. > > > > We've had the conversation about "who was the first museum to have > > a web site." Here's mine. Do we know who was the first museum to > > install public computers for the purpose of gaming/ virtual > > environments (text-based, 2d, 3d, whatever)? > > > > I would gladly reimurse copying fees for anyone in possesion of > > pre-1990s Spectra articles on the topic. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Richard Urban, Doctoral Student > > Graduate School of Library and Information Science > > University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign > > rjurban at uiuc.edu > > http://www.inherentvice.net > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum > > Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > >_______________________________________________ >You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum >Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > >To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > >To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: >http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l ------------ Leslie Johnston Head, Digital Access Services University of Virginia Library http://lib.virginia.edu/digital/ http://lib.virginia.edu/digital/das/ johnston at virginia.edu
